DeAndre Hopkins' time in the desert came to an end on Friday. The Cardinals released the veteran receiver after failing to find a trade partner to take on the two years, $54 million left on a contract extension he signed with Arizona in 2020.
Hopkins isn't expected to remain unemployed for too long. He still has been productive when on the field in recent seasons. He just hasn't been able to stay healthy with ease.
So, Hopkins' new contract will probably contain within it fewer guarantees for the team that ends up signing him than his previous contracts. That said, he should still get a sizable overall salary — if all goes well for him.
Of course, getting released at this point in the offseason can be a bit difficult. Not every team has cap space readily available, so those that want to sign Hopkins may have to make some moves to open up cap space.
MORE: Bills, Ravens among top landing spots for DeAndre Hopkins
And even if they do that, there is no guarantee that they will be able to pay Hopkins the value he is seeking — at least not in a multi-year installment.
That said, there are still plenty of other teams that have the cap space needed to make a solid offer to Hopkins. Some of them are on his preferred list of suitors but others could throw their hats into the ring as well.
So, what will Hopkins' contract look like, and which teams will have the easiest time signing him? Here's what to know about the upcoming free agency of the three-time All-Pro.
NFL teams with most remaining cap space
According to OverTheCap.com, there are 19 teams with at least $10 million in remaining cap space for 2023. The Bears have the most remaining of that bunch with $32.6 million while the Cowboys have the least remaining of that group at $10.55 million.
Below is a look at the teams that have more than $10 million in cap space available to spend.
| Team | Cap Space |
| Bears | $32,578,173 |
| Panthers | $27,319,322 |
| Lions | $23,726,793 |
| Colts | $23,478,906 |
| Packers | $16,567,483 |
| Cardinals | $16,373,500 |
| Texans | $15,492,244 |
| Bengals | $14,919,110 |
| Saints | $14,271,778 |
| Patriots | $14,124,960 |
| Eagles | $13,454,764 |
| Chargers | $12,747,249 |
| Jaguars | $12,263,063 |
| Ravens | $11,757,827 |
| Steelers | $11,265,360 |
| Falcons | $10,768,519 |
| 49ers | $10,719,232 |
| Titans | $10,642,518 |
| Cowboys | $10,550,536 |
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DeAndre Hopkins contract best fits
Hopkins is now one of the high-profile players remaining on the NFL's free agent market, so he should generate plenty of interest. He may not be the same consistent, high-end receiver that he once was, but he still has the skill set needed to be a starter on the outside.
Receivers are in high demand across the NFL, so it seems likely that a contender — or a receiver-needy team — will look into signing Hopkins. But which ones will be able to do so most easily? Here's a look at the teams that can sign Hopkins without having to do too many salary cap gymnastics.
Detroit Lions
- Cap space: $23,726,793
The Lions may not seem like the most obvious landing spot for Hopkins, but they have a chance to make some noise in a weak-looking NFC. However, their offense will be without speedy receiver Jameson Williams for at least six games, so they could use a player that could replace him to start the season.
Hopkins would fit the bill and would complement the speedy Williams and slot-man Amon-Ra St. Brown well. That trio would certainly give Jared Goff plenty of targets and quality depth at receiver. So, if Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes like what they see from Hopkins, they could chase him and offer him a solid prove-it contract.
New England Patriots
- Cap space: $14,124,960
The Patriots have a solid collection of role-playing receivers headlined by DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That said, they don't have a true No. 1 wide-out, so they could pursue Hopkins as a long-term, veteran talent to pair with Mac Jones.
Hopkins might be relied on to do a bit too much in New England, but there's no denying that he would give them upside they wouldn't otherwise have at the position. If he can stay healthy, he can get 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. His presence would give Joens even fewer excuses not to perform better than he did during his disastrous sophomore campaign.
MORE: Why did the Cardinals sign DeAndre Hopkins?
Philadelphia Eagles
- Cap space: $13,454,764
Hopkins expressed a desire to play with five NFL quarterbacks in a recent appearance on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast. One of those passers was Jalen Hurts, and the Eagles have the most cap space among teams that Hopkins mentioned on that podcast.
The Eagles also could use a No. 3 receiver. They don't have a sure-fire option to pair with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so Hopkins could be a good fit. He would probably have to play more on the outside with Brown moving into the slot, but that could add even more juice to what is already a great Eagles offense.
Baltimore Ravens
- Cap space: $11,757,827
The Ravens are another team for which Hopkins mentioned playing given his belief in Lamar Jackson's passing skills. Like the Eagles, the Ravens are armed with the cap space needed to acquire Hopkins with ease if necessary.
Of course, the Ravens have already signed Odell Beckham Jr. as a free agent while adding Zay Flowers in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. That may give them less of a need to sign Hopkins, unless they want to ease Beckham, Flowers or Rashod Bateman (coming off an injury) back into action.
So, while Baltimore is a potential landing spot for Hopkins, it seems more likely that they will use their cap space to address some of their other problems.
Dallas Cowboys
- Cap space: $10,550,536
Look, do the Cowboys need help at receiver? Not really. They have CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup and traded for Brandin Cooks during the 2023 offseason. So, they look set at the position.
That said, Gallup has been injured often in recent years and everyone knows that Jerry Jones likes to make flashy signings. As such, the Cowboys may view Hopkins as a quality add who could start in place of Gallup until they are sure that the speedster is fully healthy and ready for a larger workload.
Besides, Dallas can afford the luxury of adding Hopkins, and having better depth will have them be more competitive in the wide-open NFC.
Bills, Chiefs face hurdles to sign DeAndre Hopkins
Among Hopkins' top suitors, the Chiefs and Bills will have the hardest time signing Hopkins to a contract. It's not that they can't make a deal happen; they just need to pull off some salary-cap gymnastics before signing him.
Kansas City Chiefs
Currently, the Chiefs have the second-least cap space in the NFL, per OverTheCap.com. They have just $652,557 available to spend, so they would have to restructure some contracts to open up the space needed to sign Hopkins.
The easiest route for the Chiefs to do that would be to either cut a player or restructure one of their larger contracts to create cap space. Perhaps they could talk to Patrick Mahomes again about changing the terms of his deal. He already converted $12 million of his roster bonus for 2023 into signing bonus, however, so they may be reluctant to change his contract significantly again.
As such, the Chiefs may turn their attention to the deals belonging to Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, Joe Thuney or Justin Reid to open up space in their pursuit of Hopkins.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are in slightly better shape than the Chiefs, but only barely. Buffalo has the third-least cap space in the league at $1,476,561. So, while they would at least be able to offer Hopkins a minimum-type contract with their open space, unlike the Chiefs, they can't offer him much more than that.
Like the Chiefs, the Bills have plenty of contracts that they could restructure to sign Hopkins. Like Mahomes, Josh Allen has already converted some of his roster bonus into signing bonus this year to open up more than $26 million in space, so the team probably wouldn't want to rework his deal too much, as he has a cap number of just $18.6 million in 2023.
As such, expect Buffalo to look at the contracts belonging to Tre'Davious White, Stefon Diggs, Dion Dawkins or Mitch Morse if they want to make a run at Hopkins.
MORE: DeAndre Hopkins reveals the five QBs with whom he most wants to play
DeAndre Hopkins contract projection
With all that said, what will Hopkins' new contract look like? Part of that will depend on the demand for his services while the other will depend on how he checks out medically after playing just 19 of 34 games over the last two seasons.
That said, Spotrac.com calculates that Hopkins has a projected average annual salary of $23.2 million. Per their math and comparable contracts given to receivers like Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs and Brandin Cooks, they believe Hopkins will get a deal worth about $69.6 million over three years.
Given the point that we are at in the offseason, however, it might be hard for Hopkins to get a multi-year deal with any team. As such, he could opt to sign a one-year, "prove it" deal for a fraction of the cost projected by Spotrac. That would allow him to prove. that he can stay healthy and that he still has something left in the tank.
As such, don't be surprised to see Hopkins get a deal similar to the one-year pact given to Odell Beckham Jr. He may get more than the $18 million ceiling granted by the Ravens to Beckham, who spent the 2022 season out of the NFL while rehabbing from a torn ACL, but still, it wouldn't be shocking if Hopkins ends up on a one-year deal.
It will be interesting to see exactly what the level of interest in Hopkins is. He should be signed relatively quickly, but if there is any disconnect about his worth between him and the teams, he could linger on the free agent market a bit longer than most expect.