The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly made progress toward a deal for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, but it fell apart due to this reason.
Last week, the Arizona Cardinals made the expected move to part ways with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. But it wasn't via trade, rather it was a pre-June 1 release. That was the shock, that the Cardinals were eating money for the upcoming season and didn't get anything in return for the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
As it turns out, there might have been a trade done between the Cardinals and a Super Bowl contender. But one unlikely source brought a halt to their plans.
According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the Kansas City Chiefs made progress towards a deal for Hopkins, but "things went a little sideways" when the Baltimore Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year contract, where he earned $15 million in base pay. That, in turn, made Hopkins "feel like he should land at least that much, given that Beckham didn't play last year."
Odell Beckham Jr.'s contract with Ravens halted the potential DeAndre Hopkins-Chiefs deal
As for the potential for the Chiefs making a run back at Hopkins now that he's a free agent, Breer points out that they signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Donovan Smith to a contract, "structured similarly to the offer they made Hopkins, which will make it more difficult for Kansas City to circle back."
Additionally, Breer says his feeling is that the only way the Chiefs or Buffalo Bills would sign him is if his asking price were to come down.
Beckham was sidelined for the entire 2022 season due to his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl 56 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. While he did go on a mini-recruitment tour in the middle of this past season, visiting the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Bills, no deal was agreed upon. But this past March, Beckham's market increased after a workout he held in Arizona. Ultimately, it was the Ravens who got a deal done.
With Beckham's deal, he is set to make the aforementioned $15 million in base pay. However, he can make an additional $3 million in incentives for categories like receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Hopkins missed the first six games of the 2022 campaign after violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, and the final two games due to a knee injury. In those nine games played, Hopkins caught 64-of-96 targets for 717 yards and three touchdowns.
Now that Hopkins is a free agent, he has the opportunity to pick where he would like to play. That will all depend on how much a team is willing to offer him.