For most of the offseason, the Buffalo Bills have been closely linked in the rumors surrounding DeAndre Hopkins. At one time, it appeared a trade might be close with the Arizona Cardinals and it was reported the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs were the only two teams to have substantial trade talks.
Those trade talks fell apart but the Cardinals would release DeAndre Hopkins at the end of May. The Bills' patience looked like it might pay off as now they could sign the former All-Pro without having to send any compensation to the Cardinals.
It seemed like an easy move to get done because the Bills clearly were interested based on the trade discussions. Meanwhile, DeAndre Hopkins has dropped no-so-subtle hints that he wanted to join the Buffalo Bills.
However, as reports come out that Hopkins is set to visit the Tennessee Titans and the Bills signing Leonard Floyd, it seems unlikely a deal gets done at this point.
Did the Baltimore Ravens cost the Buffalo Bills DeAndre Hopkins?
The question now becomes what was the hold up in the Buffalo Bills adding DeAndre Hopkins, in either a trade or as a free agent. Albert Breer recently could have provided some insight into why a deal wasn't done and it surrounds Odell Beckham Jr. and the Baltimore Ravens.
"The DeAndre Hopkins market remains murky, but his hire of an agent (Klutch’s Kelton Crenshaw) should help. We’ve been over this a few times now about how Odell Beckham Jr.’s deal has had an adverse effect on the Hopkins market. Beckham got $15 million in base pay from the Ravens, with another $3 million in upside."Albert Breer
Odell Beckham Jr. signed his contract in the beginning of April with the Baltimore Ravens and it seemed like once that deal was completed, DeAndre Hopkins reconsidered taking a lesser contract. It is hard to blame Hopkins, who has seen his production drop over the past few years but has been more productive than Odell Beckham Jr.
There were not many teams that would have offered the contract Odell Beckham Jr. got from the Ravens but that one contract has seemingly taken the Buffalo Bills out of the running. They didn't have the cap space to offer anything close to that and the team has pivoted from adding Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and bolstering their pass rush.
Until DeAndre Hopkins signs with another team, the Buffalo Bills can't be written off entirely but it seems unlikely that DeAndre Hopkins will be catching passes from Josh Allen this season.