The smoke has settled and the dust has cleared and DeAndre Hopkins is a Tennessee Titan, not a member of the Buffalo Bills.

For months, Hopkins was hinting at joining the organization by either mentioning "Buffalo" in an Instagram post, talking about Josh Allen and wanting to play alongside him, or simply smiling when asked about the prospects of joining the team.

However, things quickly turned sour. Jeff Darlington appeared on The Rich Eisen Show to talk about all things DeAndre Hopkins. When the prospect of the All-Pro receiver joining the Bills, Darlington offered "My understanding with the Bills is, yeah, they love DeAndre Hopkins, and he'd be a great addition, but they're not gonna pay him. If he wants to ring chase, there's a spot for him."

Hopkins, on Instagram, quickly shut this notion down with a few emojis. A few days later, he officially became a member of the Tennessee Titans.

Free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins is expected to sign with the Titans, per source. Deal is expected to become official over the next few days.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) July 16, 2023

Now, Albert Breer opened up in an article with si.com to discuss why Hopkins chose Tennessee. Rather, why Buffalo was reportedly out on the All-Pro receiver. Breer discussed first why Hopkins chose Tennesee. "For the 31-year-old, five-time All-Pro, getting $12 million in base pay and upside to $15 million in the week leading up to the opening of camp is, unequivocally, a win—at a point when a team’s cap and cash budgets are mostly spent."

Breer later discussed why the Patriots and Chiefs were unable to land the talented receiver before talking about Buffalo. 

Then, there’s the Bills. They, too, had worked through particulars both with Hopkins and the Cardinals pre-draft. But even then, my sense is there was trepidation because of how such a signing could upset the balance of the offense, with Stefon Diggs needing his touches, and Hopkins being a volume receiver. Then, they drafted Dalton Kincaid to play the sort of inside receiver spot Hopkins would have, the Diggs drama escalated, and I’m not sure—as much as they liked Hopkins when they talked to him—they had a another run in them.

Breer alleged that Diggs potentially losing out on touches and Hopkins being a volume receiver was a big roadblock in the two parties coming to an agreement. That, and the Bills addition of Dalton Kincaid would be taking over where Hopkins tends to dominate on the field, inside receiver. Finally, the last nail in the coffin is when Breer discussed the Diggs drama that had previously unfolded and how it very may well have put to rest the Bills landing Hopkins.

Buffalo will look to Kincaid, Gabe Davis, Dawson Knox, Khalil Shakir and the newcomers like Trent Sherfield and Justin Shorter to make some noise this season.

While Hopkins paired with Diggs and Allen would be a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses, Buffalo has a dominant offense that could really kick it into another gear with Ken Dorsey getting another year under his belt, and some of the younger players progressing.

The sky is the limit in Buffalo, with or without DeAndre Hopkins.

DeAndre Hopkins to Bills: “If he wants to ring chase, there’s a spot for him”

The Buffalo Bills are once again in the national spotlight over DeAndre Hopkins rumors. Things, reportedly, are heating up.

Featured image via Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports