The Arizona Cardinals release of DeAndre Hopkins was surprising when you look at the name, but when you look at the contract it may have been something brewing for a while. No teams were biting on a trade, and the Cardinals knew it was best to eat the money now, rather than let his cap hit drag out longer. So, it brings a question of whether or not the Baltimore Ravens will be on DeAndre Hopkins or not?
Are Baltimore Ravens the favorites to land DeAndre Hopkins?
The first thought is that they would not be. First, they signed Odell Beckham Jr. already, and they added Zay Flowers to make it an even bigger room. With Rashod Bateman being a first-round pick, they have plenty of talent in the room.
However, at the same time, a lot of people seem to think that the Ravens may be one of the favorites. DeAndre Hopkins himself said that he would want to play with Lamar Jackson.
On a recent appearance on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins listed the five QBs he’d most like to catch passes from: the Bills’ Josh Allen, the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 26, 2023
More than that, Lamar Jackson told the Ravens that he wanted the team to sign both Odell Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins. The Ravens delivering on one showed Lamar Jackson enough commitment that he re-signed, but if they added Hopkins too, it would fulfill his offseason wish list.
The question will come down to the salary, as both sides will show interest. For Hopkins, he has to know that playing for one of these big-name quarterbacks means taking a bit of a pay cut from what he was getting. However, it will still come down to the highest bidder of these teams.
That is where the Ravens could be in a tough spot. They have the cap space, but they already have a lot of dead money from Beckham coming next season, and the Lamar Jackson contract has a lot of money on the back end as well.
If Hopkins could take a cheaper deal that also has some front-loaded options, the Ravens have enough cap space to make it work. The big question will be if a team like the Bills or the Chargers step in with the ability to maneuver the cap in a way that gives Hopkins more money.
If Hopkins wants to play for the Ravens, they can make it work monetarily. If Hopkins wants to go to the highest bidder of a short list of teams, they miss out.