NFL superstar inadvertently screwed up the Chiefs' chance to land one of the best players in the league
If not for one NFL superstar, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins might be a member of the Kansas City Chiefs right now. Hopkins was recently released by the Arizona Cardinals after the franchise was unable to work out a trade with interested NFL teams. One of the teams that had a significant interest in trading for […]
If not for one NFL superstar, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins might be a member of the Kansas City Chiefs right now.
Hopkins was recently released by the Arizona Cardinals after the franchise was unable to work out a trade with interested NFL teams.
One of the teams that had a significant interest in trading for Hopkins was the Chiefs. And a deal between Arizona and Kansas City might have gone down if not for Odell Beckham Jr.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Chiefs were making progress toward a deal for Hopkins until OBJ signed with the Baltimore Ravens for $15 million (the deal is worth up to $18 million).
Breer reported that Hopkins felt that he should earn at least as much as Beckham moving forward. And that killed any progress on a potential deal with the Chiefs. Breer also noted that Kansas City's deal with offensive tackle Donovan Smith — which was made after the Hopkins deal went south — will make it difficult for the Chiefs to "circle back".
From SI.com: Kansas City made progress toward a deal, but things went a little sideways when Odell Beckham Jr. got $15 million in base pay from Baltimore, making Hopkins feel like he should land at least that much, given that Beckham didn’t play last year. The Chiefs wound up giving free-agent left tackle Donovan Smith a deal structured similarly to the offer they made Hopkins, which will make it more difficult for Kansas City to circle back.
While it could be tough for the Chiefs to sign Hopkins, they're still viewed as a "threat" to land the coveted wide receiver according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"Teams I'm talking to believe that the Bills and Chiefs are threats here (to sign DeAndre Hopkins)," said Fowler on ESPN's "Get Up!" "These are two AFC contenders vying in this arms race. The problem is they don't have a lot of money, just a couple million in salary cap space each. This is a player who will want a deal most likely commensurate with his skill set. He's representing himself."
Fowler also noted that the Cleveland Browns could be interested in signing Hopkins.
On Tuesday, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said he'd be happy to have Hopkins, his former teammate with the Houston Texans, in Cleveland.
Hopkins will turn 31 later this summer. He caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games with the Cardinals last season.
Featured image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
