Bills or Chiefs: Who needs DeAndre Hopkins more?
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Source: FOX Sports
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.
