Packer Central

Packers Are Betting Favorite To Acquire Elite Receiver

With nothing but youth behind free-agents-to-be Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, the Packers have a lot of questions at receiver. Could they make a huge trade?

Bill Huber

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are the betting favorite to acquire former All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins at BetOnline.

The Packers are a team shrouded in question marks headed into the 2023 season, and that’s not limited to whether it will be Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love at quarterback. It’s nothing but questions at receiver. Will Allen Lazard or Randall Cobb return in free agency? Are Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs poised to be the next big thing at receiver? Can fellow 2022 draft pick Samori Toure develop into a reliable threat?

Hopkins would help Green Bay’s offense take the next step after a season of struggles. Hopkins was an All-Pro in 2017, when he led the NFL in touchdown receptions, as well as 2018 and 2019. From 2018 through 2020, Hopkins topped 100 receptions each season.

However, injuries and a suspension limited him to 42 catches in 10 games in 2021 and 64 receptions in nine games in 2022. Out of 106 receptions the past two years, he broke one tackle.

Hopkins will turn 31 before training camp and is owed base salaries of $19.45 million in 2023 and $14.92 million in 2024. Those could be renegotiated via an extension or restructure, but the Packers are entering another offseason of salary cap gymnastics and probably can’t afford to make a big-splash signing.

Here are the 10 teams with the shortest odds.

Green Bay Packers: +300

Kansas City Chiefs: +450

New England Patriots: +450

Baltimore Ravens: +700

New York Giants: +900

Chicago Bears: +900

Cleveland Browns: +1000

Dallas Cowboys: +1000

Los Angeles Chargers: +1000

Jacksonville Jaguars: +1200

In a story tackling Hopkins’ trade value, SI.com’s Albert Breer projected it would take a Day 2 pick to pry him out of the desert.

100 Days of Mocks

Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here’s the 100-day-countdown series.

100 days: First-round quarterback?

99 days: Trading for outside linebacker

98 days: Stud tight end

97 days: This pick would break a long drought

96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia

95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded

94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer

93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock

92 days: Kiper takes a tight end

Grading the Packers

Aaron Rodgers and the quarterbacks

Aaron Jones and the running backs

Christian Watson and the receivers

Robert Tonyan and the tight ends

David Bakhtiari, Zach Tom and the offensive line

Kenny Clark and the defensive line

Preston Smith and outside linebackers

More Packers Offseason News

Andrew Brandt weighs in on Aaron Rodgers

Malice, gratitude and a potential trade of Aaron Rodgers

Former MVP ranks the quarterbacks

One Packers player named to All-Rookie team

How many compensatory draft picks for Packers?

Ranking potential Aaron Rodgers trade destinations

‘Both sides’ acknowledge possibility of Rodgers trade

Packer Central’s 2022 season awards

Packers make big jump in special teams rankings

Aaron Rodgers brings the stupid out of people

Father Time sacks every quarterback; has he sacked Aaron Rodgers?

If Packers are committed to Rodgers, it’s time to trade Love

One of the worst teams money could buy

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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