The Baltimore Ravens or Los Angeles Chargers may become favorites for five-time Pro Bowler wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins this upcoming regular season. According to Bleacher Report, Alex Ballentine made a couple of bold trade predictions before the 2024 regular season kicks off. This includes claiming that the Browns could trade for Hopkins after attempting to get Brandon Aiyuk where they were going to send off Amari Cooper in a blockbuster deal. Aiyuk declined the offer and is staying on a contract extension with the 49ers, which originally seemed like he would be in a new uniform this year.
The trade makes sense considering there’s a history between current Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Hopkins. The Browns restructured Watson’s contract to free up plenty of cap space giving the team the financial freedom to use it to more than likely trade for a high-end player. However, Watson isn’t producing the results that Cleveland is looking for so perhaps trading for a receiver that he knows is something they may consider doing. Watson still has fine chemistry with Cooper but one last addition to their roster if they’re experiencing a losing season might give them new life.
Hopkins is a logical trade candidate so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he becomes available if the Titans are struggling. Tennessee is in the middle of a rebuild year so he’ll likely be open to move on if it means being with a contender like the Ravens. Baltimore has two rock-solid wideouts in Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman but they’re lacking a third man. Hopkins would provide the firepower that the Ravens are looking for. However, the Chargers are a receiver-needy team that is looking to replace Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.
Rookie Ladd McConkey is the only promising standalone wideout in their situation.
Ravens, Chargers May Become Favorites for Five-Time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins
Other Potential Trade Destinations
New Orleans Saints
The Saints will probably have to make several changes to create cap space for a guy like Hopkins. However, unlike the Titans, they are another team that needs a star to help Derek Carr’s tenure with the team. He’s on the hot seat just like Head Coach Dennis Allen but if they could make a trade happen midseason for Hopkins then it would explode the league. It’s pretty much Carr and Chris Olave against many defenses across the league so it makes sense to team him up with Olave.
Hopkins is still under one more year with the Titans so the Saints could experiment with him to see how drastic the offense changes. Guys like Rashid Shaheed and A.T. Perry would probably appreciate his presence and there’s no doubt that he’ll become the No. 2 receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs
Last year, the Chiefs were in close contact with Hopkins before he made his final decision to sign with the Titans. This means that Andy Reid still has his agent’s number in his back pocket if Kansas City struggles with their passing game. The Chiefs are lucky that Rashee Rice isn’t facing suspension which is a sign of relief after Marquise Brown‘s injury. Kansas City has been actively adding new wideouts like JuJu Smith-Schuster after releasing Kadarius Toney but don’t be surprised if they make a splash trade.
The team could always get better, especially since rookie Xavier Worthy will be experimenting this season with a new offense. No one should expect him to get on a fast foot but a veteran like Hopkins could fill the hole if Brown is unproductive when he comes back from his injury.
Carolina Panthers
Just like the Lions, the Panthers are building a new NFC super team and a strong supporting cast for Bryce Young. They now have some new life after a disastrous rookie year last season for the second-year quarterback. Adam Thielen is getting older and someone like Xavier Legette could use some veteran mentorship like Hopkins’s presence. He would likely take over at the No. 2 spot next to Diontae Johnson which would bump Legette to WR4 for the meantime.
However, it would give them some breathing room if they decide to move on from Thielen after this upcoming season.
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