Ranking the top 3 DeAndre Hopkins destinations for 2023

A couple of days ago, DeAndre Hopkins was released by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals released him after trading him. Teams passed on trades for him due to the fact that he was a huge cap hit.

In addition to him turning 30, it seems like a lot of teams have concerns about him playing a full season due to injury. What teams could be the best possible fits for Hopkins in 2023? Let’s take a look at the top three.

Top 3 landing spots for DeAndre Hopkins in 2023

1. Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions would be an amazing fit for DeAndre Hopkins. Despite not having anything that he wanted on his supposed list of desires, the Lions need a wide receiver after Jameson Williams’s suspension for six games.

The Lions could structure an offer without a lot of void years due to the amount of cap space they have left. This still most likely would happen due to the fact that this could be used to save money on the cap for future years (due to accounting tricks in the cap).

Hopkins could help fill the void that Williams created with his suspension, and they could form a dangerous trio with Amon-Ra St. Brown when Williams’s suspension is over.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

The only major problem for the Chiefs is the fact that they do not have much money after signing Donovan Smith. At some point, Kansas City will need to write up a new contract for Patrick Mahomes. Whether that happens before the start of this season or the next, that contract will get ripped up and a new one will place the MVP at the top of QB contracts in the league (per annual value).

Kansas City could choose to do this sooner than later which would create cap space for the Chiefs to sign DeAndre Hopkins. If the Chiefs want to go all-in and make a move to add a pure number-one wide receiver, signing Hopkins is the way to go. A deal that is similar to the way Odell Beckham Jr.’s contract is structured where it is a one-year deal with four years of void years might make sense.

It would make sense if the Chiefs were focused on keeping Hopkins long-term.

Kansas City did invest a second-round pick in Rashee Rice in this year’s draft, and they re-signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling and traded for Kadarius Toney last season. Still, none of these players are suitable number-one wide receivers.

3. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints do not have any cap space and it would be really hard to pull off a move like this. Still, it’s hard to count out their accounting department, which is able to push off the debt into the future.

They still have a huge chunk of cap space which means a one-year deal could be possible. Still, It would be shocking if the Saints were able to pull it off due to the fact that they are already over the cap by $61 million for next season. They may want to roll over some of that cap towards next season but a one-off deal would make some sense.

They have already Chris Olave who is one of the best young receivers in the league. Michael Thomas is coming back for another year but his health for next season is in question. I am not sure how healthy he will be this season. Rashid Shaheed is their third wide receiver. For an undrafted player, he has been a pleasant surprise.

Still, this team will be needing wide receiver depth at the very least with Thomas’s injury concerns. Hopkins would be a very nice weapon for the Saints. He doesn’t really solve their aging roster problem but he would be a weapon for Derek Carr.