DeAndre Hopkins Reported Price Tag Shows why Browns Were Never Really in it

The reported cost of signing free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins never made sense in Cleveland.

Brandon Little | Jun 16, 2023

DeAndre Hopkins Reported Price Tag Shows why Browns Were Never Really in it /

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Cleveland Browns

DeAndre Hopkins is still a talented wide receiver that can contribute at a pretty high level. The price tag that has been reported tells you everything you need to know why the Cleveland Browns weren’t a realistic option.

"DHop is looking for a contract that's similar to what Odell Beckham got,” said Michael Lombardi on The Pat McAfee Show.

Beckham received a one-year deal from the Baltimore Ravens for $15 million. Out of that total, $13.8 million of it was fully guaranteed as a signing bonus.

At this point, both wide receivers are on the back end of their careers and the primes are in the past. The injury history of Beckham is substantially worse, as is the missed time.

Cleveland has Amari Cooper at a $23.7 million cap hit in 2023. They have Donovan Peoples-Jones who has improved every season and is in line for a decent payday. The Browns are in a much better place for the future if they roll that cash over instead of spending on potentially just one year of Hopkins.

Going further, the Browns still have moves to make this offseason if they are serious about a deep playoff push in 2023. If Dalvin Tomlinson was to miss time, the defensive tackle room is a lot like last year. They would be relying on Jordan Elliott, a rookie in Siaki Ika, and Maurice Hurst. You can throw in second-year guy Perrion Winfrey but the point still stands.

Cleveland needs another defensive tackle. Period.

Paying Hopkins that money also means you’re slowing the development of your young wideouts. You’re talking about taking potential touches away from Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, and David Bell. Sure, Hopkins is a better player than those three right now, but the Browns have them for a reason.

As it’s always been, the Hopkins to Cleveland connection was nothing more than talk due to Deshaun Watson being in town. Perhaps it was media driven, but it’s now dead with this cost.

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