With DeAndre Hopkins now fresh on the market let’s just put this one to bed right away: He’s not coming to the Vikings.
As much fun as it would be to see a receiving corps of Justin Jefferson, Hopkins, K.J. Osborn, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, there are multiple reasons for it making little to no sense at all.
First and foremost the Vikings simply don’t have the cap space to make a deal work.
The Vikings have just $9.5 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. The futures of Dalvin Cook and Danielle Hunter are still being sorted which could likely open somewhere in the ballpark of an extra $14.5 million in cap space, but still…
Even if the Vikings suddenly came upon $24 million in cap space they still have the long term futures of Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and Christian Darrisaw to sort out, which are certainly bound to be top of the market extensions.
Looking at recent deals other 30-and-over receivers have signed, it becomes even less likely the Vikings can sign Hopkins. Odell Beckham Jr. (31) signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Ravens this offseason. Julio Jones was 30 when he signed a five-year, $85 million extension with the Falcons.
Hopkins’ recent comments about the quarterbacks he’d want to play with are another signal that he won’t be donning Minnesota’s shade of purple this upcoming season.
On a recent episode of the I Am Athlete podcast with former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall, Hopkins listed five quarterbacks he would like to play with: Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert. Sorry Kirk Cousins, you didn’t make the list.
Though just because Kirk missed out on making the list it doesn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t be under consideration. The veteran receiver listed the traits he’s looking for saying: “A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board with him and pushes not just himself but everybody around him.”
The third trait Hopkins listed probably pushes the Vikings out of contention: “And a great defense. A great defense wins championships.”
Lastly, the Vikings just spent a first round pick on receiver Jordan Addison. Unless Kevin O’Connell and company already regret that decision after a rookie mini camp and a couple days of OTAs, then adding a 31-year-old receiver to the mix just doesn’t make sense for the Vikings’ time horizon.
“Between spending a first on Jordan Addison and their lack of space, he isn’t a guy they can consider,” says Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller. “If you look at what OBJ got in the free agent market, teams will still find ways to pay receivers even if they aren’t at their peak. There’s going to be a ton of competition for his services.”
Everything points to this being one former Cardinal that won’t be making their way north.
