National Football League

Can DeAndre Hopkins be AFC kingmaker for Chiefs or Bills?

Published May. 31, 2023 11:25 a.m. ET

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills aren't missing any pieces, per se. You can pick nits and point out the issues at linebacker for Buffalo and at defensive end for Kansas City. But on the whole, the Chiefs and Bills are complete teams that should compete for the Super Bowl.

But therein lies the problem. Their rosters are extremely similar in quality. Right now, the edge seems to go to Kansas City, because quarterback Patrick Mahomes has become unbeatable in the playoffs. (Mahomes is 2-0 against Josh Allen in the postseason.) But as Allen matures, he will become more threatening in the postseason.

So for either of these teams, DeAndre Hopkins could be the type of acquisition that puts them over the top. Hopkins, whom the Cardinals officially released on Tuesday, is a free agent with no shortage of interest. The Chiefs are the leader for Hopkins while the Bills, Patriots and Browns will be in the mix, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

But it doesn't sound like these teams are in a rush to get a deal done. The Bills, in particular, are headed into cap trouble in 2024. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have ample cap space from next year that they could potentially use to attract Hopkins on a two-year deal. Buffalo would have to do a much bigger set of salary cap gymnastics, which GM Brandon Beane has emphasized he hopes to avoid.

Still, the Bills would absolutely sign Hopkins for the right price. If they add him, it might not be like when the Patriots acquired Randy Moss. But Hopkins' presence might bring out even more elite qualities in Stefon Diggs, who has not really had a reliable No. 2 option since he arrived in Buffalo a few years ago. That Hopkins-Diggs combination could be a special one. And, of course, if tight end Dalton Kincaid can catch on in his rookie year — with WR Gabe Davis stretching the field and RB James Cook contributing in a multitude of ways — this Bills offense could take a whole different shape in 2023 after a sort of singular-looking attack in 2022.

Bills or Chiefs: Who needs DeAndre Hopkins more?

The trouble for the Bills is that the Chiefs make a lot more sense for Hopkins, who turns 31 on June 6 and is approaching the final years of his career. This could be one of the last big contracts for him, if not the last. So he's likely going to pinch pennies out of whatever organization wants him.

The Chiefs will simply have more money to offer, not to mention the opportunity to play with the best quarterback in the NFL. So Kansas City will likely have the Bills beat. Likely. The Chiefs offense lost receivers Tyreek Hill, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman over the past two seasons. Hopkins would be the only sure thing on an offense that includes high-upside, high-risk wideouts like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Justyn Ross and Skyy Moore. Hopkins would provide a brilliant 1-2 punch with star tight end Travis Kelce, with the other speedster pass-catchers stretching the field.

There is an outside chance that a team like the Patriots, who have more than $12 million in cap space this year and $120 million in spending money next year, could tempt Hopkins simply with a dollar amount. Because though he might care about contending for a Super Bowl, money may be more important at this phase of his career and life.

The Patriots haven't contended since Tom Brady's departure, but maybe with Hopkins joining new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien they can keep from sinking to the bottom of the AFC East, which already looks like the most competitive division in football. But Bill Belichick is notoriously stingy. Just because he has the money, that doesn't mean he'll offer it to an aging receiver who isn't considered one of the top players at his position anymore.

As for the Browns, I don't see it. Their biggest selling point would be QB Deshaun Watson, who played with Hopkins in Houston and is friendly with him. But it's hard to know if Watson could actually convince Hopkins to come to Cleveland.

So maybe a darkhorse candidate will emerge — perhaps the Ravens, who could pair Hopkins with Odell Beckham Jr. But for now, the Chiefs and Bills seem like the biggest contenders. And maybe the Bills will stretch themselves financially, just so that Mahomes doesn't have another weapon — and a bigger advantage.

It feels like Beane has been patient all offseason, waiting to make a big move. Hopkins is presenting himself. Maybe the Bills can pull the trigger to make sure they have one more weapon for what feels like an imminent matchup against the Chiefs in Kansas City at the end of January.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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