Would a trade for DeAndre Hopkins be worth it for the Kansas City Chiefs or not? There are two sides.
With the 2023 NFL Draft Combine this week, many people are laser-focused on the testing numbers of many big draft prospects and dreaming of certain players being drafted to their teams.
While that’s all important, an important aspect of the Combine is teams and agents meeting up and discussing potential offseason moves and contracts. With that being said, rumblings are already starting to come out about Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ trade value.
According to NFL reporter Mike Jurecki, the Cardinals are looking for two picks for Hopkins, anchored by one as high as the second round.
According to a couple agents I’ve spoken with the Cardinals looking for at least a second round pick and a conditional pick for DeAndre Hopkins. These conversations are taking place at the combine.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) March 1, 2023
If DeAndre Hopkins can be had for a second-round pick, it means he’s a realistic target for a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, who will most likely have a need at wide receiver. It may be more ideal for the Chiefs to simply hang onto JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is an impending free agent, or simply bring in a draft pick. However, Hopkins is an option that makes sense. The question is, would it be worth it?
Would a DeAndre Hopkins trade be worth it for KC Chiefs?
The main reason many Kansas City Chiefs fans may be weary of a potential DeAndre Hopkins trade is his age. The Chiefs just indicated to fans last offseason that they wish to get younger and less expensive. At least, that’s the impression they gave at the time. Either way, Hopkins is about to be 31 years old and would be on the team for the foreseeable future as he has a couple of years left on his contract.
No doubt, Hopkins is an aging receiver. He’s also played in just 19 games over the last two seasons due to injury and suspension, so there’s some cause for concern. Would Kansas City be willing to take the risk of dealing a second-round pick or something similar to bring Hopkins in? It’s possible, but it also doesn’t seem like a Brett Veach type of move.
There are two sides to every coin, though. Hopkins has still been a productive receiver as of late and he also brings a dimension that we haven’t really seen in an offense led by Patrick Mahomes. Hopkins has elite contested catch ability and brings an “open even when he’s not open” aura that Mahomes hasn’t really had at his disposal to this point. Despite the age factor, it’s a safe bet that the Chiefs would get a couple of quality years out of Hopkins at the very least, assuming he’s healthy.
The other plus to potentially trading for Hopkins is his contract. Fans will look at his contract, see that he’s due $54 million over the next two years and simply say “no thanks”. However, any team trading for Hopkins would only be paying Hopkins $19 million in 2023 and $15 million in 2024. The rest of the money is bonus money from the Arizona Cardinals that would count against them as dead cap. That’s not as bad of a deal, especially in this current wide receiver market.
In the end, there’s a risk in trading for Hopkins. There’s risk in every trade. Fans may rather save money and hang onto any picks that may be used in any trade. That’s completely understandable. As far as a potential Hopkins trade being “worth it”, he’s still a good player and wouldn’t totally break the bank and you could do a lot worse with a second-round pick.