Bengals should have Deandre Hopkins back up his increasingly obvious desire to play with Joe Burrow
Three-time All-Pro free agent wide receiver Deandre Hopkins wants to play with Joe Burrow, but the Cincinnati Bengals are set at his position. Would he take a minimum deal to make it happen?
Three-time All-Pro free agent wide receiver Deandre Hopkins still has the Cincinnati Bengals on his mind, and Joe Burrow is the reason why.
Hopkins, who most recently played with the Baltimore Ravens, named Burrow the quarterback he wants to play with among those he hasn’t been teammates with yet.
“I think Joe is one of the best,” Hopkins said on Saturday at the Kentucky Derby. “I love his game, his toughness. He took his team to a Super Bowl early in his career and I feel like he can get back there with a little bit of help.”
Hopkins and Burrow were technically teammates just two months ago. They played on the same flag football team during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in March. Hopkins caught an impressive touchdown from Burrow during their game, and sent an intriguing post on X/Twitter about it.
There’s clearly a desire from Hopkins to catch passes from Burrow in a Bengals jersey instead. There’s just a couple problems getting in the way of making that happen.
Bengals do not have much salary cap space or room at the wide receiver position
Cincinnati finds itself in an unusual spot for its standards. The Bengals have a little over $7 million in salary cap space before signing all of their 2026 NFL Draft picks and undrafted free agents. Those moves will take them down to around $5 million in offseason space in which only the top-51 cap hits are counted.
There’s also the issue of roster space. Cincy has at most just two roster spots available and that number could one or zero depending on how many UDFAs actually sign with the team. A reported 10 have agreed to terms after the draft, and seven draft picks got the roster to 78. There should be at least 88 names in the locker room later this week.
Hopkins could squeeze in there as the 89th or even 90th player. He just may have to sacrifice his potential earnings to get it done.
Deandre Hopkins Stats and Facts
Deandre Hopkins has played 13 years in the NFL as a wide receiver. Now 33 years old, he’s looking to join his sixth team.
- Hopkins was drafted No. 27 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He started all 110 games he played for the Texans, catching 632 passes for 8,602 yards and 54 touchdowns in seven seasons for the club. He also made for Pro Bowls and was a three-time All-Pro.
- The Arizona Cardinals traded for Hopkins in 2020. He spent three years out in Arizona, making a Pro Bowl in his first year, and caught 221 passes for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in 35 games/starts.
- Hopkins has been on three different teams in the last three years. He signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2023, was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, and signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2o25.
Bengals should see if Deandre Hopkins would take a minimum contract offer
The Bengals are light on cap space and may not have a large role to give Hopkins in their offense. Andrei Iosivas and Mike Gesicki are still present to be the ancillary options alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Burrow’s passing attack. Colbie Young was also just drafted to compete with Iosivas for snaps.
If Hopkins wants to come to Cincinnati, the team should see if he would accept the league minimum contract for a player of his experience.
Veteran minimum for an NFL player of seven years of experience is set at $1.3 million for the 2026 League Year. The smallest contract Hopkins has ever played on was a one-year, $5 million deal Baltimore got him for last year.
Hopkins is now 33 years old and has averaged 470 yards a season the last two years. He’s been on three different clubs in two seasons. This is not the All-Pro or Pro Bowl receiver of the 2010s any more.
Is he worth more than vet min? Probably. He’s still worthy of a roster spot or a team that needs him. The Bengals just aren’t one of those teams that would compete for his services unless they could get him on the cheapest deal by using the allure of playing with Burrow.
Cincinnati should have no issue with that arrangement. It would not only keep the cap in a good place, it would tell Hopkins he’s not in line for a major role.
If Hopkins can accept it, it may be possible for him to get his wish.
