Bills vs. Chiefs in DeAndre Hopkins 'Arms Race?' Insider Reveals Details

The rivalry between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs has now been extended beyond the football field due to the release of DeAndre Hopkins.

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs have developed one of the most entertaining and budding rivalries in the NFL after their recent AFC battles over the past few seasons.

But both of these franchises must capitalize on the talent of their respective elite quarterbacks, and should stop at almost nothing to do so. Adding a guy like recently-released Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins would certainly qualify as a championship-focused move, with the Chiefs trying to add another Lombardi and the Bills looking to snag their first.

The rivalry between the two organizations has now been extended beyond the football field due to Hopkins' release, with both sides potentially set to fight it out to sign the five-time All-Pro in the coming stages of the offseason. ESPN's NFL insider Jeremy Fowler even went as far to call the ensuing battle an "arms race" during an appearance on ESPN Radio on Monday.

"My money would still be on the Bills or the Chiefs working something out," he said. " ... I still suspect that you have two contenders in the AFC that are sort of trying to combat each other, make sure one doesn't get Hopkins over the other, so it's a little bit of an arms race there."

But ironically, despite his betting chances, Fowler admitted that it's also money that could prevent Hopkins from landing either in Kansas City or Buffalo. Of course, cap moves can be made to accommodate for his potential addition, but nothing is guaranteed.

Still, Fowler said that teams around the league view Buffalo as major player in the Hopkins sweepstakes regardless of cap situation.

"When you talk to other NFL teams, they believe the Bills are a threat here and have been for a while," he said.

As for the Chiefs?

"I don't get the sense that they're overly desperate to make this happen, but there's certainly some interest," Fowler said.

With Buffalo linebacker Von Miller as a spokesperson of sorts, the Bills might be willing to jump through some hoops to land Hopkins.

"We got a lot of talent over there man, but I think I think DeAndre Hopkins would put it over the top," Miller said last month on the Von Cast. "So I think that would be huge for us to get a guy like Nuk, to get a guy like DeAndre Hopkins man. We just have to wait and see because things happen."

During Arizona's abysmal 4-13 finish this past season, Hopkins still finished as the team's leader in receiving yards (717) despite missing eight games, six of which came in the first six weeks of the season due to a PED suspension.

The five-time Pro Bowler will be entering his 11th season this fall in a new home. And now, the explosive anticipation to see whether he lands in Buffalo, Kansas City or elsewhere begins.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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