The DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors just won’t stop, and that’s largely because the three-time All Pro keeps talking about new NFL homes. Appearing on the I Am Athlete podcast, Hopkins spoke about the qualities he’s looking for in a new team, as well as a few quarterbacks he’d love to play with.
DeAndre Hopkins was asked on @IAMATHLETEpod which QBs he'd love to have throwing him the ball. #Bills QB Josh Allen was quickly his first answer.
Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert rounded out his top-5.pic.twitter.com/gtepzf9JD4
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 22, 2023
DeAndre Hopkins Describes Ideal Trade Scenarios
What Hopkins Wants In A New Team
According to DeAndre Hopkins himself, the three most important qualities he’s looking for in a trade destination are stable management, a quarterback that loves the game, and a great defense because “defense wins champions”. As a sidenote, I think it’s safe to assume Hopkins did not watch Super Bowl 57.
Right off the bat, it’s easy to see that Arizona has, at most, one of those things. Hopkins defended Kyler Murray’s off-field spirit, saying that the former first-overall pick “is a quarterback who loves the game, but he’s injured…right now I don’t currently have a Pro Bowl quarterback.”
The rest of Arizona’s roster, meanwhile, is pretty terrible. This team is not ready to compete, and it’s anyone’s guess is first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon will be able to build a stable culture. With the wide receiver clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning, nobody could blame him for wanting to spend his final years with a team that could win it all, and DeAndre Hopkins has quite a few trade destinations in mind.
DeAndre Hopkins Trade: The Ideal Quarterback Pairings
Based on his response on the podcast, it’s safe to assume that Hopkins has Josh Allen at the top of his quarterback wish list. The wide receiver gushed about the Buffalo Bills quarterback, and the fit makes perfect sense for Buffalo as well. Stefon Diggs is still great, but the rest of the wide receiver depth chart leaves something to be desired. A DeAndre Hopkins trade would turn wide receiver from a position of need to a major strength and wouldn’t put as much pressure on rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid.
After Allen, Hopkins also mentioned Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Lamar Jackson as potential matches. All of these guys are among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but a DeAndre Hopkins trade doesn’t make too much sense for some of these teams.
There was a time when the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens would have made sense in a DeAndre Hopkins trade, but that window has passed. Los Angeles already has a reliable trio of wide receivers in Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston. It’s hard to see how Hopkins fits in here, especially considering his skill set is a little redundant with Williams and Johnston.
The Ravens, meanwhile, already invested a lot of guaranteed money in Odell Beckham Jr and selected wide receiver Zay Flowers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Baltimore could still use a bigger target like Hopkins, but it’s hard to imagine them investing even more in wide receiver.
The only team that really makes sense is the Kansas City Chiefs. Even with the addition of Rashee Rice, this team still has some major questions at wide receiver. This offense will be good as long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are in town, but adding DeAndre Hopkins via trade will provide a much-needed proven commodity at wide receiver. This way, the team won’t have to put too much faith in Kadarius Toney finally staying healthy and playing up to his potential.
