DeAndre Hopkins is expected to draw plenty of interest now that he is officially a free agent, but it seems like two teams have emerged as the top suitors for the star wide receiver.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said during a recent appearance on the “Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show” that he would bet on either the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills signing Hopkins. What is interesting is that Fowler believes both teams may feel more urgency to prevent the star wide receiver from signing with their AFC rival than they do to actually sign Hopkins themselves.
“(The Chiefs) do believe Kadarius Toney can be a No. 1-type of receiver. So I don’t get the sense they’re overly desperate to make this happen, but there is certainly some interest,” Fowler said. “When you talk to other NFL teams, they believe the Bills are a threat here and have been for a while. I still suspect you have two contenders in the AFC that are trying to combat each other and make sure one doesn’t get Hopkins over the other. It’s a little bit of an arms race there.”
Interesting that @JFowlerESPN describes preventing Buffalo from obtaining another weapon as part of the Chiefs’ motivation to sign Hopkins (and vice versa). We’ve got an arms race. pic.twitter.com/ququ11Xdi0
— Adam Best (@Arrowhead_Adam) May 29, 2023
Fowler also mentioned the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets as potential sleeper teams to enter the Hopkins sweepstakes. Hopkins and Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson played together in Houston, and Hopkins is said to be open to a reunion.
The Chiefs and Bills were reportedly the only two teams that showed real interest in Hopkins when the Arizona Cardinals were looking to trade the five-time Pro Bowl wideout. That was because of the 30-year-old’s contract, so his demands will play a big role in how much interest he receives on the open market.
