DeAndre Hopkins will have his pick of the league.
The five-time Pro Bowl receiver was cut by the Cardinals last week and now enters free agency with plenty of options. Where do the odds think Hopkins will end up? What NFL team is the best fit? Let's break it down:
DeAndre Hopkins Next Team Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | +200 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +300 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +500 |
| New England Patriots | +700 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +800 |
| Carolina Panthers | +800 |
| New York Giants | +1000 |
Odds as of May 29th 2023
The Bills have plenty of pass-catching weapons. Stefon Diggs may be the best receiver in the league; Gabe Davis is an underrated WR2/3, and they also have a pair of catching tight ends in Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid. But, another elite receiver couldn't hurt, right?
At +200 odds, the Bills are the favs to land DeAndre Hopkins. Their odds imply a 33.33% chance the former Texans and Cardinals receiver will end up in Buffalo.
Hopkins Could Lock Chiefs As Super Bowl Favs
The Chiefs already are Super Bowl favorites, but Hopkins could lock that top spot down for KC. They lost Tyreek Hill last year and Patrick Mahomes still managed to win the title with TE Travis Kelce and a suspect receiving core of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson.
Imagine what that offense would look like with an elite receiver back in the mix? In just nine games with a pretty trash Cardinals attack last year, Hopkins still managed 717 yards and three scores. Over the last five seasons, the vet has averaged 82.3 yards per game with 35 touchdowns in 66 contests. Slide that production in aside Kelce, and I'm not sure who's stopping this KC offense.
#Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins was asked which QBs he'd like to play with, his answer:
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 22, 2023
1) #Bills Josh Allen
2) #Eagles Jalen Hurts
3) #Chiefs Patrick Mahomes
4) #Ravens Lamar Jackson
5) #Chargers Justin Herbert
(via @IAMATHLETEpod) pic.twitter.com/VZOMSqtKPh
Where Would Hopkins Have The Biggest Impact?
The Bills and Chiefs may be the favorites to land Hopkins, but they're both already expected to compete for a Super Bowl. So, which teams could Hopkins help lift into serious contention?
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys currently have slightly better Super Bowl odds than the Lions and Jaguars. That's certainly not where Jerry Jones and the Dallas faithful want to be.
One way to climb back up the league's power rankings is by improving the passing attack, especially with Zeke Elliott potentially gone for good. In 2021, the Cowboys ranked third in the NFL in passing yards (291.9) but that mark dropped to 18th last year (230.1 per game).
Beyond CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys are reliant on big seasons from receivers Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup. Sure, there's some upside there, but pairing Hopkins with Lamb and pushing the other pair down the pecking order would give Dak Prescott much more stability.
New York Giants
Right now, Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins are slated to be the Giants' top two receivers. In 2022-23, those two combined for 1,035 yards. That's fewer than DeAndre Hopkins averages alone in a decent year.
This Giants offense is built off the run with Saquon Barkley carrying the load and Daniel Jones adding some value with his own legs. But, if New York gave Danny Dimes an elite receiver like Hopkins, it could open the entire offense up.
The Arizona Cardinals have released DeAndre Hopkins. Now I’m thinking about this May 5 IG post … @Giants @saquon @DeAndreHopkins pic.twitter.com/AXtBq9lwc5
— PEPE 🐸 (@lamb_rules) May 26, 2023
Right now, the Giants sit in the middle of the league with +4500 odds to win the Super Bowl. With an add like Hopkins, they could jump up into the serious contender category.
