As the free agency market for DeAndre Hopkins takes shape, it appeared weeks ago that it could be a two-team race. As MassLive revealed, ESPN’s Diana Russini previously reported on NFL Live that Hopkins was considering offers from both the Patriots and Titans.
The problem? This was mid-to-late last month, around June 22.
Fans are now still awaiting word on Hopkins’ decision, and it’s pushing mid-July, but it seems the hold-up on the wide receiver's future could potentially be due to the Chiefs. NFL analyst Mike Jurecki, who previously worked with the Cardinals, believes Hopkins is waiting on Chris Jones to get a contract extension with Kansas City, which in turn would free up cap space for the team to make him an offer.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported something to similar effect about the Chiefs’ interest in Hopkins last week, suggesting that Kansas City has kept in touch with the free agent wide receiver but may not be able to make a move until later in the summer.
On the surface, this would make sense when factoring in that the Chiefs reportedly negotiated with the Cardinals on a potential trade for Hopkins prior to his release. It's easy to envision a potential Patrick Mahomes-Hopkins pairing in Kansas City, and that outlook has to bring plenty of appeal for the wide receiver also.
The big question is what the Chiefs would potentially offer Hopkins and whether it would be enough to persuade him to sign over agreeing to a deal with the Patriots or Titans. Time will tell, but it seems Kansas City is a team to monitor over the coming days or weeks.
