DeAndre Hopkins Broadening His List of Potential Destinations?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler tweeted out some thoughts on what he's hearing regarding DeAndre Hopkins and free agency. How do the Cleveland Browns figure into those plans?

The latest rumors regarding DeAndre Hopkins continue to have the Cleveland Browns as an option for the free agent wide receiver, but they also suggest that Hopkins and his agent are searching for a means to that maximizes his leverage while still likely singing with a contending team.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler posted what he's been told regarding Hopkins, suggesting that the star wide out is more openminded about the possible teams he's considering.

Few notes on DeAndre Hopkins after asking around:

-Open-minded about teams league-wide. No short list I’m aware of

-Prepared to be patient: Minicamp could be considered a soft deadline, training camp a harder deadline.

-Taking free agent visits a possibility

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 1, 2023

Everything to this point regarding Hopkins looks like an attempt to maximize his next contract. That's certainly his choice and like any other player, he's entitled to try to make the best deal for himself and get as much money as possible in a brutal and finite career.

Money was a key factor Hopkins was released rather than traded. The Odell Beckham Jr. contract with the Baltimore Ravens provided Hopkins reason enough to hold out for a contract worth at least as much as Beckham.

Hopkins hired an agent for the first time in his career. Up to this point, he's largely relied on the advice of a financial advisor to help with his contracts. Hopkins had never been a free agent and teams were all too eager to give him franchise wide receiver money, so it wasn't a challenging negotiation. Now with question marks about his value, he has employed an agent to help him get the best deal.

When Hopkins was initially released, Adam Schefter said on his podcast that the Browns, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs stood out as the favorites. That was followed up by buzz about the Browns in part because quarterback Deshaun Watson, a former Houston Texans teammate, was asked about a potential reunion in Cleveland.

Now the suggestion is Hopkins is open to signing with any team. Maybe that's true, but unless a team is desperate, they may not be interested in dealing with the reported baggage that comes with Hopkins. Painted as a player who doesn't want to practice and whose attitude directly reflects the team's place in the standings, a poor team might prefer to avoid those potential headaches in their locker room. 

Does Hopkins really want to toil away for another team with no chance to compete for a for championship when he's already earned $114 million for his career? It's far more believable that he'd take slightly less to play for a contender.

If the Browns, Bills, Chiefs and Patriots are waiting for Hopkins to drop his asking price, he only needs to find one team that is willing to pay a handsome price to put pressure on them to match. The Carolina Panthers for example might want to give rookie Bryce Young a legitimate wide receiver to put the rest of their pass catchers in more appropriate roles.

Hopkins himself has floated the possibility of going back to the Houston Texans, where he spent the first seven years of his career. The Texans have a rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud that could use a talented receiver.

The notion that Hopkins could end up with the Patriots seems difficult to believe. After all, the coach who traded him from the Texans, Bill O'Brien, is the offensive coordinator. Enough money might be able to mend that fence, but everything surrounding Hopkins suggests he's throwing a bunch of darts at teams hoping one of these rumors is believable enough to entice the teams he really wants to play for to increase their offer. The Browns could certainly be in the group, but none of these ploys are likely to work on general manager Andrew Berry. The Browns front office tends to lead with their best offer and not move off of it. Either Hopkins will eventually come around and accept it or he'll play elsewhere.

As far as timelines go, Hopkins has no interest in participating in minicamp. Especially if he's looking at a potential contract that includes incentives to boost the money he can earn, he's not going to put his body in any more jeopardy than is absolutely necessary. 

Since he's never been a free agent, he may be perfectly happy to let teams wine and dine him for the first time in his career. Who wouldn't? Hopkins only stands to benefit by waiting. His value won't decrease, but a team could lose a player to injury, which might increase his leverage. He could sign in June after minicamp is completed but might wait into training camp. Especially if he's not getting the money he's seeking, he can get out of a week or two of training camp before signing and reporting, all while still looking like a hero.

This all feels like a fishing expedition. Maybe there's a team willing to take the bait, but the true list of teams that DeAndre Hopkins is interested in playing for is likely still only a handful. The seriousness of the Browns interest remains unclear, but they seem to be thoroughly enjoying getting to work with the receiving threats currently on their roster.