NFL Execs Split on DeAndre Hopkins, What He'll Get on Open Market

MMQB's Albert Breer spoke to different execs across the league and got varying answers on what former Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins will get on the open market.

Former Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins is slowly but surely taking the next steps to find a new team after being sent packing from the desert weeks ago. He's currently visiting with the Tennessee Titans and is also scheduled to meet with the New England Patriots later this week, too.

There's two schools of thought on Hopkins: One side will tell you that he still has plenty to offer despite being 31-years-old while others will say he's not worth the paycheck he's reportedly seeking. 

Fans debate that. Analysts join in. Even NFL executives are split on what Hopkins will see/do.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer spoke to a few different executives, and Hopkins' value was scattered across the board:

NFL Execs Split on DeAndre Hopkins, What He'll Get on Open Market

"I hit up a couple of team execs Sunday to try to get a value on him. One said that if he were a free agent in March, he’d still see Hopkins as an $18 million player on a multiyear deal, but 'it’s such a strange time to reach the market; everyone has already spent and allocated.' Another guessed he’d get between $8 million and $10 million on a one-year deal, with some upside built in to make him whole if he could produce at his accustomed level," Breer wrote.

"If I had to take a stab at it, I’d say the latter guess is in the neighborhood of what he gets, if Hopkins just chooses the highest bidder (which, honestly, no one should blame him as a 31-year-old player who hasn’t played a full season in three years). And I’d say that’s probably what Hopkins will do, since he already walked away from shots to chase a ring in Buffalo and Kansas City, which would represent his two best shots, by far, to do so."

Many have speculated that Odell Beckham Jr.'s contract with the Baltimore Ravens ($15 million) has set the bar too high for Hopkins. The Cardinals weren't able to offload Hopkins on the trade market - mostly due to teams not wanting to meet the $19.45 million salary he was owed. 

Hopkins has reportedly hired help of an agent (he previously has represented himself) so perhaps he knows the open market for him is different.