DeAndre Hopkins was released by the Arizona Cardinals over the weekend, leaving him free to sign elsewhere.
Hopkins has been linked to a number of teams, including the Cleveland Browns, where he has a built-in connection in quarterback Deshaun Watson, his teammate with the Houston Texans.
Watson told reporters on Tuesday that he has been in contact with Hopkins, who is also a fellow Clemson alum. However, he acknowledged that their history together doesn’t guarantee anything when it comes to what team Hopkins ultimately chooses.
“He’s always been a brother of mine since I’ve been coming out of high school. Our connection has always been great,” Watson said, via 247Sports’ Brad Stainbrook. “I know there’s a lot of things swirling around in the media of him possibly coming to Cleveland. My answer to that is of course we would love to have him. He knows that.
“We had a lot of connections but it’s kind of out of my range of things. All I can do is make a call and see what happens and let [general manager Andrew Berry] do the rest.”
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson on DeAndre Hopkins: pic.twitter.com/TyXLTGx1e8
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) May 30, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs reportedly had “substantive” trade talks with the Cardinals about Hopkins before he was ultimately released, and the Dallas Cowboys have also been frequently mentioned in conjunction with the five-time Pro Bowler.
Hopkins, who turns 31 in one week, is no longer in his physical prime, but was still productive in 2022, logging 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns in only nine games.