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The Philadelphia Eagles already possess one of the most dangerous receiving tandems in football with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Those two Pro Bowl-caliber playmakers can make opposing cornerbacks break out in cold sweats the night before games.
The Eagles don’t need to strengthen that group, but what if they did? Quez Watkins is slotted in as the third receiver on the depth chart right now so an upgrade at the position could make Nick Sirianni’s offense unstoppable. Luckily, there is one guy potentially available: DeAndre Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowler who is quietly seeking a trade out of Arizona.
Imagine Hopkins in the slot. It would be a dream scenario and a theory that ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has been pushing hard (h/t Inside the Iggles). Orlovsky believes the Eagles should put a call into Arizona to inquire about Hopkins, as well as Cardinals All-Pro safety Budda Baker.
Here is why it makes sense and how the Eagles could make it happen, per Orlovsky:
We should all pay attention to DeAndre Hopkins and Budda Baker in Arizona. If I was Philadelphia I would be making the call to see what’s it going to take to potentially acquire those guys because can you imagine … if you add DeAndre Hopkins to this offense — it’s an RPO-based offense with A.J. Brown — they are going to get a ton of single coverage, their big bodies will make the offense even easier to operate and then defensively they need a safety.
I would say that Budda Baker is the ideal fit for a guy who can play coverage but also be a very aggressive hitter against the run, and they did lose C.J. Gardner-Johnson in their secondary, so just have two names to pay attention to because I think the Eagles are very so much aware because their two-year ideal window is now.
According to Orlovsky, the Eagles have a two-year window to win a Super Bowl due to the way Jalen Hurts’ contract has been structured. The cap hits on Hurts’ $255 million deal are very favorable to add high-priced talent around him in 2023 and 2024 before they take a significant jump. The expectation is championship or bust.
Eagles Made Offer for DeAndre Hopkins in 2020
The Eagles have long been interested in DeAndre Hopkins. Remember, they attempted to acquire the star receiver from the Houston Texans in 2020 but they were given a low-ball offer. General manager Howie Roseman had to frustratingly watch Hopkins go to the Cardinals on the cheap, something he talked about openly and honestly.
“The Hopkins one, I get that this is a hot-button topic for us,” Roseman said in 2020, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think that, again, we gotta also look at it from the perspective of the other team. What their ask is for us may be different, depending on their valuation of players they get in trades or where draft picks are. So, it’s not always apples to apples.”
Hopkins was sent packing from Houston to Arizona in 2020 for David Johnson and a second-round pick. It was bargain-basement pricing at the time. And the trade still boggles the mind when you look at Hopkins’ accomplishments.
USA Today Sends Budda Baker to Philadelphia
USA Today’s “For the Win” recently put together a trade package that sends Budda Baker to the Eagles. In it, Philadelphia sends a 2023 first-round pick (No. 31) and safety K’Von Wallace to Arizona for Baker. The Eagles would have to work out the financials on a long-term contract extension for Baker — $20 million per year would make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL — but the Eagles’ front office has a knack for working those things out.
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