Should the Vikings Target DeAndre Hopkins?
Josh Frey
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On Friday afternoon, the Arizona Cardinals announced that they would be releasing star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after failing to find a trade partner for the soon-to-be 31-year-old player. Given the talent that Hopkins brings to the table, he instantly jumps up to the top of the free agency ‘big board’ as June approaches.
With that being said, should the Vikings target Hopkins this summer, or would the addition of another starting quality player simply be overkill to an already talented position?
In a vacuum, Hopkins is one of the most talented players in the league. Throughout his 10-year career, the receiver has five Pro Bowl appearances to his name as well as three first-team All-Pro nominations. In all, he’s recorded 853 receptions, 11298 yards, and 71 touchdowns over the course of 145 games.
For the most part, Hopkins has been a healthy player, but he missed seven games during 2021 after missing just two games over the course of his first eight seasons combined. Then, he missed six more games to begin the 2022 season due to suspension before sitting out the final two games of the year as well.
Back when a trade was the only way to land Hopkins, especially given the Vikings salary cap situation, it never really seemed within the realm of possibility. However, now that he’s on the open market, it all really depends on how much of a commitment he is looking for from his next team.
The positives of the Vikings adding Hopkins are two-fold. Firstly, it would mean the Vikings have a proven receiver that can certainly be a playmaker opposite Justin Jefferson, and Hopkins would become one of the most overqualified WR2s in the NFL.
Additionally, it would mean that Jordan Addison would be able to spend the majority of his rookie season playing out of the slot where he was most effective during his collegiate career. Playing primarily out of the slot in 2021 at Pittsburgh (playing 385 snaps there compared to 180 out wide), Addison put up 100 receptions, 1593 yards, and 17 TDs, ranking among the top-six in all three categories in the entire FBS.
However, there are a few negatives to consider as well in a potential Hopkins signing. Firstly, it’s not guaranteed that he’ll stay healthy throughout the year after missing extensive time in each of the past two seasons. This is not a great trend to be on to begin his 30s.
Additionally, depending on the type of contract he wants, wide receiver is a strange position for the Vikings to dedicate a lot of money to at this point in time. Why go after Hopkins when they could snatch another veteran to help their very young secondary?
There also is the fact that perhaps Hopkins won’t want to play for a team as loaded at wide receiver as the Vikings. Addison and Jefferson are just two of the pass-catchers he’d have to compete with for targets; we haven’t even talked about T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn.
In all, Minnesota could be a very intriguing landing spot for Hopkins, but there are pros and cons to the Vikings making a big commitment to him. At the end of the day, I would rather they target another piece for the defense, but it would be very exciting to see Hopkins and Jefferson together.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.