DeAndre Hopkins Rumors: WR Hires Agent amid Chiefs, Bills Buzz After Repping Himself

Free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is hiring an agent as he ponders his next move in the NFL, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Kelton Crenshaw of Klutch Sports will represent the five-time Pro Bowler in contract negotiations with prospective suitors.

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson successfully landed his record-setting five-year, $260 million deal without any formal representation. Representing himself wasn't necessarily a roadblock to Hopkins landing on his feet.

But the 30-year-old doesn't have the kind of leverage Jackson enjoyed, and an agent should prove beneficial assuming he signs an incentive-laden contract.

On May 19, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Hopkins was using Odell Beckham Jr.'s contract as a baseline when considering any restructure of his original two-year, $54.5 million extension from the Arizona Cardinals.

Beckham is collecting a $15 million salary from the Baltimore Ravens, and his overall payout can hit $18 million if he triggers all of his stat-based incentives.

The timing of Hopkins' release from Arizona wasn't ideal because nine teams have at least $15 million in available salary-cap space. A large portion of that group is either outright rebuilding or likely to tread water in 2023.

The MMQB's Albert Breer reported the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills were the only two teams that formally discussed a Hopkins trade with the Cardinals. Those teams have $1.1 million and $1.6 million, respectively, in cap space, so any pursuit in free agency is complicated.

"My feeling is that it leaves [the Bills] in the same place the Chiefs are with Hopkins—the only way it happens is if his price comes down," Breer reported.

A good agent might be able to get all of the dominoes to fall into place, allowing Hopkins to get his preferred choice of available options.