NFL rumors: Bills draw line in the sand with DeAndre Hopkins pursuit

DeAndre Hopkins to the Buffalo Bills isn’t a buried rumor just yet. New reports say the Bills are interested in the star wideout, but they have a firm price in mind.

As DeAndre Hopkins looks back and forth between his presumed contract offers from the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, one pervasive thought may be looming in his mind: “Can I win with these teams?”

On the Pats, sure, Hopkins has a friendly coordinator in Bill O’Brien, but catching balls from Mac Jones may not be worth the money. In Tennessee, Hopkins will get a fresh start on a semi-rebuilding team and he’ll get to play with the King of running backs, Derrick Henry, albeit the quarterback situation there isn’t so great, either.

While Hopkins continues to contemplate his options, a playoff contender like the Buffalo Bills may be lurking in the shadows waiting for the right opportunity to pounce.

According to Jeff Darlington, the Bills “love” D-Hop and believe he would be a “great addition” to the roster. However, Buffalo doesn’t seem willing to pay him a very lucrative contract and may expect him to take a pay cut in return for chasing a ring.

In other words, if it’s money and stability Hopkins wants, the Bills aren’t his team.

Bills don’t want to overpay for free agent DeAndre Hopkins

To further the rift, on a recent Instagram post that displayed Darlington’s rumor, Hopkins commented using two cow and two poop emojis. It’s pretty clear what the former Cards wideout thinks about that scenario.

We’re assuming the point of contention is money, here. Hopkins wants to secure his bag and some long-term stability considering his troubling injury history and age.

Had the Bills come out and said they were willing to pay Hopkins whatever he desired, Hopkins would probably make his choice right then and there. One could hardly say the Bills are Super Bowl favorites given Buffalo’s disappointing playoff results over the last several years, yet they pose as much more serious contenders than the Pats or the Titans at least.

Despite his previous comments on wanting to play with an elite quarterback within a well-managed organization, it seems Hopkins prefers chasing the money at this stage in his career. We imagine it would have to be a pretty sizeable difference in salary for Hopkins to pick, say, Mac Jones over Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. And so the D-Hop free agency saga drags on.