Could Chiefs add DeAndre Hopkins after release? | KCSN Daily 5.26
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The Arizona Cardinals announced that they had released WR DeAndre Hopkins on Friday. This comes after months of speculation that he was available in trade. As it turns out, he was available and the Chiefs were one of the teams who pursued acquiring him.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Chiefs were granted permission to speak with Hopkins ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. That doesn’t happen unless you have the framework of a deal in place with a team to acquire said player in a trade. So what happened to nix the deal?
The two sides couldn’t come to an amicable solution on Hopkins’ contract situation. He was reportedly willing to rework his contract for a new team, but how much he was willing to give up might have taken a turn when Odell Beckham Jr. signed his deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
Now that Hopkins is set to become a free agent, financials are still the biggest struggle standing in the Chiefs’ way. This time they don’t have fixed numbers to work with in terms of his contract, but they’ll have to compete with 31 other NFL teams for his services. It’s also true that they have less money in the piggy bank now than they did back in April.
In terms of the salary cap, the NFLPA reports the team with around $2.8 million in salary cap space. Their effective cap space could be even lower when you consider that they still need to sign second-round draft pick Rashee Rice. They certainly have options to create cap space and fit a deal for Hopkins — with an extension for Chris Jones being Chief among them.
Even with some creativity on the financial side, it’s unclear how motivated Kansas City will be to sign Hopkins with the moves they’ve made since they first inquired about trading for him.
KC Laboratory - Chiefs contract extension watch: Who's next?
KCSN’s Kent Swanson, Craig Stout, and Matt Lane talk about the latest happenings from Kansas City Chiefs OTAs (organized team activities) and discuss which Chiefs could be the next to have their contract extended by the team.
Ask KCSN Discord:
In Friday’s KCSN Daily for the remainder of the offseason, I’ll be asking the KCSN Discord server to weigh in on the latest hot topics surrounding the Chiefs. This week’s question: Which Chiefs player (2022 draft pick, UDFA or newcomer) do you think is most likely to have a sophomore slump in 2023?
Jaylen Watson - CB play is generally inconsistent year to year. - Zach “Fauxricle" McFaurxkin
I think it’s (Joshua) Williams. Had the most inconsistent technique and now teams have tape on him. I’m guessing that he’ll be the ‘mark’ when he’s out there. Watson seems solid in terms of technique / assignments / awareness even though he’s not quite as athletic as Williams. - Steve Gray
(Darian) Kinnard - falls behind all other tackles and gets cut. - KCfromKC
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Raising Heck: The Creep Set
Earlier this week, I dove into how Kansas City Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck likes to build his pocket in pass protection. It helped to define some of the boundaries that he likes to set and the symbiotic relationship between the quarterback and various parts of the offensive line. However, it doesn’t say how the offensive linemen should
Raising Heck: Building the Pocket
Welcome to another offseason series here at KC Sports Network! The Kansas City Chiefs have once again overhauled one of their biggest positions ahead of the 2023 NFL season. In somewhat of a surprise, the Chiefs elected to move on from both starting offensive tackles and move back toward a more athletic group of players on the edges of their offensive line. While the expectation is that the young players in the group — namely Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris —
Quotable:
“It’s been great. Obviously, you see why they’re a championship team the way that they prepare from top to bottom – coaches to players. It’s good to see. The locker room is good. You obviously see the camaraderie that they have, hanging out with each other and what not. I’m kind of just feeling my way around and figuring some things out and whatnot but other than that, everything’s been smooth.” - New OT Donovan Smith on joining the Chiefs.
KCSN Podcasts:
Important Dates Ahead:
May 30-June 1: OTAs Part 2
June 1: Deadline for the usage of the 'June 1' tender
June 2: Money comes off the books for any players deemed a “post-June 1” release.
June 6-9: OTAs Part 3
June 13-15: Mandatory minicamp
June 15-25: Chiefs training camp schedule released
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