Getty DeAndre Hopkins looks on during an Arizona Cardinals game.
The Buffalo Bills have been pegged as one of the top contenders to land DeAndre Hopkins ever since the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver first hit the trade block, and one insider now believes he could now be landed at a lower price.
The Cardinals gave Hopkins permission to seek a trade in March, SI.com’s Albert Breer reported, and a number of insiders have named the Bills as the most likely landing spot. While reports on Arizona’s asking price for Hopkins have varied, Brad Spielberg of Pro Football Focus believes the Bills can now land Hopkins for a price lower than initially expected.
Bills Finally Land DeAndre Hopkins in Mock Trade Proposal
Spielberg predicted in an April 25 article that the Bills would acquire Hopkins in a draft-day trade for Buffalo’s 2023 third-round pick along with a 2024 sixth-round pick. The PFF writer added that the Bills may ultimately decide to make a run at Hopkins on what could be a short-term rental to help get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.
“Buffalo is sitting at No. 27 overall and may not be able to add any true difference-makers in the 2023 draft, and the Bills have come up short in the playoffs a few years in a row now,” Spielberg wrote. “They will very likely not be interested in extending Hopkins, but his addition may also add leverage and buy them time in extension talks with wide receiver Gabriel Davis.”
DeAndre Hopkins to the Bills? 👀
Spielberg added that the Cardinals may end up taking part of Hopkins’ salary as part of a potential deal, which could help the Bills in fitting him into their tight salary cap situation.
“Hopkins tweeted and then deleted that he was not looking for a new contract,” Spielberg wrote. “If true, Arizona should be able to get a decent return here — around a third-round pick — especially if the Cardinals are willing to retain some of Hopkins’ $19.45 million 2023 salary.”
Cardinals Asking Price Coming Down
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had initially reported that the Cardinals were initially seeking a “Christian McCaffrey package” for Hopkins, including second-, third-, and fourth-round picks. He noted at the time that there was not much of an appetite among interested teams for a package that rich, and that the Cardinals would likely need to come down off their initial asking price.
Some insiders believe the Bills may ultimately land Hopkins at an even lower price than Spielberg suggested. Bleacher Report‘s Alex Kay reported that the market for the wide receiver has been “ice cold” and suggested the Bills could land him with just one second-day draft pick.
Source(s) have some DHop information..
“There’s five teams in on DHop and my source(s) tell me that Buffalo could work”
“Given how ice cold Hopkins’ market has been, the Bills should try to turn the No. 91 overall pick into a three-time All-Pro wideout who could take their high-powered offense to another level,” Kay wrote. “If Hopkins returns to form, this move could help finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo.”
There are other indications that the Bills could have the inside track on Hopkins. Bills edge rusher and recruiter Von Miller shared that Hopkins is enthusiastic at the prospect of joining the Bills next season.
“Hop says he wants to be a Buffalo Bill,” Miller said, per SI. “I would love to see DeAndre Hopkins be here and I would love to have his skill set on our offense with Josh Allen Stefon Diggs and Dawson Knox and Gabe Davis. How could we lose with those guys?”
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Blockbuster Bills Trade Proposal Lands DeAndre Hopkins at Lower Price