DeAndre Hopkins Rumors: Bills, Chiefs Were Only Teams to Have Substantive Trade Talks

Teams no longer have to give up assets in a trade for DeAndre Hopkins now that the Arizona Cardinals released the wide receiver, but two of the AFC's top clubs reportedly explored doing so this offseason.

According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills "were the only teams to have substantive trade talks with Arizona" regarding Hopkins.

However, neither team completed a trade due to concerns about his contract.

The Cardinals cleared some 2023 cap space and no longer have to worry about him in 2024 with the move, although they still had to eat plenty of dead money this year:

It is not a foregone conclusion that the Bills or Chiefs will be Hopkins' ultimate landing spot.

"As for where this goes next, I'd say the price will dictate that," Breer wrote. "Under current circumstances, unlikely KC or Buffalo go get him. If his price drops (both teams offered incentive-heavy deals), then ... maybe."

From Hopkins' perspective, going to the Chiefs or Bills would make sense.

He will be 31 years old throughout the 2023 campaign and has never made it past the Divisional Round of the playoffs. A championship is about the only thing missing from his resume, and perhaps no teams in the league are as well-positioned to chase a Lombardi Trophy during the upcoming season than Kansas City and Buffalo.

Both have excellent quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, as well as No. 1 options in Travis Kelce and Stefon Diggs who would take some of the opposing secondary's attention away from Hopkins.

That could lead to plenty of one-on-one scenarios for the five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection.

Hopkins has six seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, and last year likely would have been his seventh if he played the entire schedule. He finished the season with 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games, proving he is still a dangerous playmaker even at this stage of his career.

It's safe to say his numbers would be fairly impressive with Mahomes or Allen throwing him the ball in 2023.