ESPN: DeAndre Hopkins Open to Joining Browns' Deshaun Watson; Bills, Chiefs 'Threats'

Free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would be open to reuniting with former teammate Deshaun Watson on the Cleveland Browns, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter, however, that the Browns are "not considered a major contender."

He added the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are believed to be serious "threats" to sign Hopkins but that their salary cap situations could be a major hurdle. Kansas City and Buffalo both have less than $2 million in available space.

Hopkins has the luxury to choose his next destination after the Arizona Cardinals released him Friday.

The 30-year-old may have to decide whether money or contending for a title is more important because there isn't a team that can easily offer both at the moment. That's assuming he'll want something similar to the one-year, $15 million contract Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Only nine teams have $15 million-plus at their disposal at this stage of the offseason.

Nearly everybody at the top of the list is either in a total rebuild or chasing respectability while looking toward the long term. That's a group that includes the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans.

The New York Jets are an exception, but they already signed Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman Jr. to a receiving corps that included Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson. The Dallas Cowboys are in a similar position after acquiring Brandin Cooks to line up alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.

For the Chiefs and Bills, signing Hopkins would not only require a lot of salary maneuvers but also need him to take a significant pay cut from the two-year, $54 million extension he originally signed with the Cardinals.

The Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles are among the contenders with some money to burn but don't have a pressing need for another wideout.

Considering Hopkins only just hit the open market, the coming days might provide some valuable insight into what teams are seriously in play.