5x Pro Bowl Wide receiver Deandre Hopkins has been released by the Arizona Cardinals, after a disappointing 2022 season for both the franchise and the star pass catcher.
Hopkins served a six-game suspension to start the 2022 campaign for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhanced Drug (PED) policy.
For the second year in a row, Hopkins failed to reach the century mark in receptions totaling 64 catches with 717 yards and three receiving TD’s, one more than his career low in his rookie season with the Texans.
Frustration grew as the 2022 season progressed, and the veteran wideout did not hesitate to call out his starting quarterback Kyler Murray for some uncharacteristic mistakes.
In one game you could hear Hopkins asking Kyler “What are you looking at Man”? clearly voicing his frustration with his QB on the sidelines.
Hopkins did make a statement on the I am athlete podcast about his former signal caller,
“I think people give him a tough time because he’s fiery,” Hopkins said. “The dude is a competitor, a real competitor. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I love it. That’s why he and I sometimes butt heads but it’s love.”
It seems the sideline frustrations, where a heat of the moment thing and there isn’t any bad blood between Kyler Murray and Deandre Hopkins.
The question now is, where will the veteran WR sign now that he is a free agent?
Hopkins has given many hints on social media about wanting to catch passes from Josh Allen, but will Buffalo make moves to free up the cap space to acquire the All Pro?
There are many teams in need of a veteran receiver like Nuke, but who will pull the trigger?
Whoever decides to do so will get an immediate upgrade at the wide out position, Hopkins still brings precise rout running, creating separation from the defender on nearly every down and has some of the best hands in the NFL.
Hopkins has already named a few quarterbacks he prefers to play with, so here are the Top 5 Landing spots for Deandre Hopkins.
1. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo’s expectations were that Gabriel Davis would finally turn into that solid number two wide receiver for Josh Allen, and he has done just that.
After catching four touchdown passes against the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, Davis showed his potential and busted on the scene. The thing with Davis is that he has become more of a deep ball artist with his 17.4 yards per reception average.
Which leaves the door wide open for Deandre Hopkins to come in and spread the field with his precise route running. Tweets and rumors could soon turn into reality, as I have Buffalo as the top potential team to sign Deandre Hopkins.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
Who wouldn’t want to catch passes from possibly the next greatest quarterback of this generation?
Defending Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs need a vet at WR after losing Juju Smith-Schuster to the New England Patriots.
It seems in KC you can bring anyone in, and this offense will still click, which should be an intriguing destination for Nuke. If a Championship is the number one goal, Hopkins should do whatever it takes to make Kansas City his new home.
3. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore came to terms with MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, and a few weeks after signed Odell Beckham Jr to a one-year deal on April 10th Adding some much-needed help to a thin Ravens WR corps.
Deandre Hopkins was spotted working out with OBJ and Saquon Barkley in early May, raising eyebrows for a potential team up in Baltimore.
Although Jackson and Bateman were working well together before Bateman suffered a season ending injury, Jackson dealt with injuries of his own during the 2022 campaign.
When Bateman went down the Ravens were extremely thin at the position, making the Ravens another potential landing spot for Deandre Hopkins.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert was another one of the 5 quarterbacks Hopkins listed that he would like to play with, and we could all see why.
Since Herbert came into the NFL, he has displayed great poise in the pocket and has been able to read defenses like a book, he can throw the ball deep, find the open man on the intermediate route, and check it down to one of the league’s best Pass catching backs in Austin Ekler.
Herbert has thrown for 25+ Td’s and over 4,000 passing yards each of his first three seasons, no wonder Nuke Wants to play with the young gunslinger.
5. Houston Texans
Last, a reunion with the team that Drafted Nuke, The Houston Texans. Although Hopkins has stated that he wants to play for a contender, and wants no part of a rebuild, I can see him coming back to Houston for the right price. This may be Nukes’ last chance to secure a big bag, and why not do it with the team that drafted him.
Hopkins thrived when Houston drafted Deshaun Watson, and the Texans just took C.J. Stroud with the Second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Hopkins could play a valuable role in the development of Houston’s young franchise quarterback.
Other possible teams include:
Cleveland, Dallas, New York Jets, Philadelphia
Anticipation will build as we all wait to see what Nuke’s Decision will be and where he will be playing next season.
Hopkins believes he’s still got a lot of football left in him and whoever lands him will be getting the same All-Pro we are used to.