3 trade targets that could fix the Titans WR problem
Three trade targets for the Tennessee Titans that would solve their wide receiver problem in 2023.
1. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been one of the more heavily discussed wide receivers this offseason that could be available for trade, and the Tennessee Titans have been named as a potential suitor. Arizona has no plans to contend in 2023, especially not with quarterback Kyler Murray potentially missing some of the year recovering from his torn ACL.
New Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort has some work to do to clean things up in The Desert, and getting out from Hopkins' contract would help kickstart that process.
For Titans fans, adding Hopkins comes with some red flags. Tennessee has a long history of bringing in veteran wide receivers who are well past their prime that don't contribute to the team's success despite being paid like the star they used to be. Julio Jones, Randy Moss, Andre Johnson…the list goes on.
That said, Hopkins has been one of the more dominant wide outs in the NFL as recently as last season. After returning from his suspension, Hopkins played in nine games in 2022 and posted 64 catches for 717 receiving yards. That's over seven catches and 77.9 yards per game, which ranked seventh best in the league last season.
Those numbers are even more impressive considering that five of Hopkins' nine games played came with either Trace McSorley or Colt McCoy at quarterback.
Adding Hopkins to the Titans' offense would give Tennessee a dangerous weapon to line up across from Treylon Burks. While he may not possess the speed that Mike Vrabel seems set on acquiring this offseason, his catch radius and ability to win 50-50 balls would command attention downfield. Hopkins would give Ryan Tannehill a reliable option on third down and take some weight off of Treylon Burks' shoulders, potentially putting him in single coverage more frequently.
The biggest issue with trading for Hopkins would be the finances. Should the Titans trade for Hopkins, they would be on the hook for $19.45 million in 2023. That's not a number that's doable unless serious changes are made to the roster to free up some money.
In a situation where the Titans look to acquire him, a new contract could lower the cap hit Tennessee takes on in 2023, making it more doable against the cap, but taking on additional risk later down the line for a veteran wide receiver going into his 11th season. Maybe the risk isn't worth the reward, but he would undoubtedly solve a lot of Tennessee's issues in the immediate future.
2. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Following Tom Brady's retirement, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are approaching rebuild mode in 2023. Even with Brady under center in 2022, the Bucs were an underwhelming 8-9 division champion before bowing out of the NFL playoffs in a rather embarrassing fashion.
That same team has now lost a number of players that got regular starts a year ago including Tom Brady, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Keanu Neal, Mike Edwards, Donovan Smith, Leonard Fournette, and Akiem Hicks.
After going all in on the Brady era, Tampa is out of money, and with the direction things are trending, it'd make sense to get what assets you can for star wide receiver Mike Evans now.
2022 was the ninth consecutive season in which Evans has recorded 1,000 or more receiving yards. He has never come up short of that number in his NFL career, making him the most consistent player at the position over the last decade. Jerry Rice and Randy Moss are the only players to ever have a longer streak.
Evans is a legitimate number one wide out and at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, his stature is the perfect compliment to Burks in Tennessee's offense. But according to Evan Winter of AtoZ Sports, getting Tampa Bay to move on from the greatest wide receiver in franchise history might be easier said than done.
"On the surface, it makes a lot of sense for the Buccaneers to trade Mike Evans, but only after June 1, where they can save around $14 million in cap space. Hypothetically, they’d probably get pretty solid compensation in return. Evans is still a very good player.
The Buccaneers likely wouldn’t trade him until after June. But, the key with that is the Bucs believe they can compete in the NFC South, which is realistic. This also could very well be both Todd Bowles’ and Jason Licht’s last year as head coach and GM, respectively if things go very poorly.
Therefore, there’s a realistic chance they wouldn’t be around to use assets they’d acquire in a post-June 1 trade. Overall, it’s just not a move that makes sense for them." – Evan Winter, AtoZ Sports Tampa Bay
Acquiring Evans also means paying him $14.5 million in 2023, or perhaps coming to an agreement on an extension that makes his 2023 cap number fit in with Tennessee's current financial restraints. Unlike Hopkins, nobody would bat an eye at a multi-year deal for Evans, who is showing no signs of slowing down in his production and is remarkably still 29 years old.
3. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly turned away the many teams inquiring about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but should the Niners end up moving their 2020 first round pick, the Titans should absolutely get involved.
Aiyuk is entering his age 25 season in 2023 after his first 1,000 yard campaign last year. Aiyuk has managed to improve every year of his NFL career despite not being the focal point of the Niners' run first offense, a number of other weapons around him, and inconsistencies at quarterback.
For a team that is starving for playmakers that create seperation, adding a receiver of Aiyuk's caliber would change everything for the Titans. His route-running is second to none and he has all the makings of a future star. Ran Carthon should know that better than anyone given his background with the Niners.
San Francisco has already elected to exercise Aiyuk's fifth-year option, keeping him under contract for the 2024 season for $14.124 million. That said, it would be a surprise to nobody if Aiyuk looked to capitalize on his recent success and get a long-term deal in the near future. With the large contracts the 49ers have already given out to Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Goerge Kittle, Arik Armsetad, and the impending free agency of Nick Bosa, a long-term deal and a big cap number for Aiyuk may not be in the cards.
It would cost a pretty penny in draft picks, but adding Aiyuk is an outside-the-box option that would immediately solve Tennessee's wide receiver problems.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
