After being released from the Arizona Cardinals earlier today, DeAndre Hopkins immediately became the most sought-after free agent in the league.
Given the market for receivers right now, a lot of teams are pretty much already priced out of even making a decent offer for him. But there are a few that either have the excess cap space or can maneuver around the cap to bring him into the fold.
Here are the three teams that would either be the best fit or have the means to sign Hopkins:
1. Carolina Panthers
There’s really no better way to ensure the early development of a young quarterback than to surround him with an elite wide receiver and with the weapons the Panthers have right now, DeAndre Hopkins could easily be their No. 1 receiver in Bryce Young’s rookie season.
Factor in the Panthers having the second-most cap space 2023 (about $27 million per Over The Cap) and you have a team that can easily give Hopkins the money he’ll want without hamstringing the team’s ongoing rebuilding process.
2. New England Patriots
Bill O’Brien is the offensive coordinator in New England this year and assuming the two don’t have any lingering beef from their Houston Texans days, he could theoretically join the team whenever he wants without having to endure a training camp.
Throw in the fact that New England has plenty of cap space and a whole lot of question marks at both wide receiver and quarterback (plus a division stacked with elite cornerbacks) and you could have a perfect match here.
3. Dallas Cowboys
With the Cowboys clearly shifting their focus to the passing game for the foreseeable future, it would behoove them to return to having two elite wide receivers instead of just CeeDee Lamb.
Last year Lamb was one of only two Cowboys wide receivers who went over 500 receiving yards. As talented as Noah Brown and Michael Gallup are, Hopkins would be a clear upgrade and in the ongoing NFC East arms race, having more gamebreaking receivers can only help them.
Who do you think should try and make a move for DeAndre Hopkins?