Rumors about DeAndre Hopkins to Cleveland have been doing the rounds on social media following Hopkins’ comment on Deshaun Watson’s latest Instagram post.
Thanks to a comment saying “fame” to DeAndre Hopkins on Instagram, some Cleveland Browns fans have taken it a bit too far and are beginning to consider the idea of DeAndre Hopkins reuniting with former teammate Deshaun Watson in Cleveland.
Logistically, a potential trade could make sense for Cleveland to add another elite playmaker and possibly even the Arizona Cardinals.
Hopkins is in his 30-year season and will be a free agent in two years. The Cardinals are in a tough spot right now with a well-under .500 record, and now quarterback Kyler Murray is suffering from a cruciate ligament tear that will sideline him for the rest of this season and possibly next season.
At 4-10, Arizona had a disappointing season and fell far short of expectations. Because of their poor performances, head coach Kliff Kingsbury could potentially be fired and the Cardinals could face some key player decisions. One of them could be the aging DeAndre Hopkins.
Cardinals wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown proved he could handle a No. 1 wide receiver workload during Hopkins’ 6-game absence earlier this year. Brown is a younger and cheaper option than Hopkins, which may be one of the reasons the Cardinals are choosing to part ways with 5-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Hopkins.
Is There Any Truth To DeAndre Hopkins’ Cleveland Browns Rumors?
Despite all of this, a trade seems very unlikely for two reasons.
First, the Browns don’t have many assets to trade for a talented receiver like Hopkins, having moved so much draft capital to Houston in exchange for Watson. Also, Cleveland would have to pick up at least a good chunk of Hopkins’ cap hit of nearly $31 million, which is nearly impossible for the Browns because their 2023 offseason salary cap is among the lowest in the NFL.
To get a deal to work, there would need to be a major treaty reshuffle and/or the Cardinals would need to be willing to take on part of the treaty.
A swap for Hopkins would be near-impossible to complete, but there’s no question Watson would welcome the move to take on his old team-mate. For anything to happen, Hopkins would likely have to request a trade from Arizona in the first place. So far there is no evidence that he is unhappy at all.
The chances of the trade ever closing are close to 0%, giving Browns fans peace of mind with the Hopkins post-Cleveland rumors.
