DeAndre Hopkins Trade Rumors: Bills 'Headline' Suitors for Cardinals WR

As the Buffalo Bills continue to seek another top-tier wide receiver to play with Stefon Diggs, they appear to be the current favorite to acquire DeAndre Hopkins from the Arizona Cardinals.

Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, the Bills headline the list of suitors for the five-time Pro Bowler.

There's a possibility Hopkins could be traded without the acquiring team giving up anything of significant value in return.

Prior to the start of free agency, NFL insider Mike Jurecki reported the Cardinals wanted a second-round draft pick plus a conditional pick or player in exchange for Hopkins.

As the market has cooled down with most teams having already made their big moves in free agency, Albert Breer of The MMQB said recent indications are Arizona's return for Hopkins will be closer to what the Dallas Cowboys gave up for Brandin Cooks.

The Cowboys sent a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for Cooks.

There are two big factors potentially driving down the price for Hopkins—availability and contract status. He has missed 15 games over the past two seasons, including six in 2022 due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Regardless of what team Hopkins ends up playing for, a contract restructure is likely to follow soon after a trade announcement. The 30-year-old has a $30.8 million cap hit in 2023 and $26.2 million in 2024.

The Bills should be ready to jump at the opportunity to add Hopkins if they can. Gabriel Davis posted solid numbers with 836 yards and seven touchdowns as the No. 2 receiver, but there was a lack of week-to-week consistency that hindered the offense.

Davis had eight games with fewer than 40 receiving yards last season. Diggs had nearly as many targets on his own (154) as the next two players on the Bills combined (158 with Davis and Dawson Knox).

Adding Hopkins would elevate the ceiling for Buffalo's offense by moving Davis back to the No. 3 option where he thrived at times in 2021.

Even with some questions about his durability, Hopkins is still a difficult matchup for opposing defenses. He finished last season with 717 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 64 receptions in nine games for the Cardinals.