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The Philadelphia Eagles are being warned against signing a notable free agent.
The idea of signing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins sounds great in a dream scenario, according to John McMullen of Sports Illustrated, but the fit makes little sense considering Hopkins would be forced to settle into a No. 3 receiver role behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
“In the Philadelphia fantasy world, however, Hopkins is the content WR3 on the Eagles’ explosive offense, OK with a Quez Watkins-level workload because no one complains in fantasy football or in the latest Madden video game,” McMullen wrote in a story published May 28.
The Kansas City Chiefs & Buffalo Bills Offer More Significant Roles for DeAndre Hopkins
McMullen went so far as to say that other contenders, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, would be more desirable landing spots for Hopkins considering they would feature more “significant” roles for the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
“Once you realize the reigning Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs – with the quarterback everyone wants to play with in Patrick Mahomes – have already been sniffing around Hopkins with the offer of more money and a more significant role in their high-octane offense, the subject should be declared dead on arrival by an independent board that governs dumb football subjects,” writes McMuellen. “Alas, such a paradise does not exist.”
The 30-year-old Hopkins — who will turn 31 years old in June — has always served as a leading receiver since getting drafted by the Houston Texans in 2013. During stints with the Texans and Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins has posted six different 1,000-yard seasons and four different 100-reception campaigns.
Over the course of his 10 seasons in the league, Hopkins has led his teams in receiving yards in eight of those seasons. The only seasons in which Hopkins did not lead his team in receiving were 2021, when he missed seven games, and his rookie campaign, when he played alongside seven-time Pro Bowler Andre Johnson.
The Philadelphia Eagles May Not Have Enough Targets for DeAndre Hopkins
Setting financials aside — the Eagles actually possess roughly $13 million in cap space — the personnel fit is very questionable. The issue of targets would likely become a big issue for a receiver who’s arguably been the NFL’s best over the past decade.
When looking at Philadelphia’s top three receivers — Brown, Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert — they combined for 22.25 receptions per game last season. For perspective, quarterback Jalen Hurts averaged 30.6 pass attempts per game. Meanwhile, Hopkins has averaged 9.4 targets per game over the course of his career, as Brandon Lee Gowton of SB Nations’s Bleeding Green Nation points out.
“It was already a challenge to keep the Big 3 happy with their targets,” via Gowton. “Adding Hopkins into the mix would further complicate the dynamic. We’re talking about a guy who is averaging 9.4 targets per game over his career. To put that number in perspective, here’s how many targets each of the Eagles’ Big 3 averaged per game last season: Brown — 8.5, DeVonta — 8.0, Goedert — 5.75.”
While Hopkins has already revealed his desire to play for Hurts, the Eagles’ stacked receiving corps makes it hard to envision him making a move to Philadelphia.
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