DeAndre Hopkins, Dalvin Cook, and the Free Agency Game of Dominoes
The past few years of NFL free agency have been strange to say the least. Three years ago, Tom Brady made his way to Tampa Bay after a public falling out with New England, the season after the Patriots bought up nearly everyone on the market, and last year was shrouded in rumors surrounding the fate of Aaron Rodgers. With most of the major storylines over from this year’s free agency, there are a few big names that still remain available (as happens most years). Unlike the majority of offseasons however, most of these names are inherently linked to each other in one way or another, and through that, their fates are tied together. There are two scenarios of how the rest of free agency will go down, both tied to which player of DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook gets signed first, and where to.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
The First Scenario:
DeAndre Hopkins goes ring chasing, signs with the Bills. Dolphins land Dalvin Cook, Taylor Lewan signs a short-term deal with the Steelers, and Ezekiel Elliott takes his services to Vegas.
The main thing both of these scenarios depend on is whether these star players want to win or are seeking “big contracts” (a la Dalvin Cook, reportedly). In either case, the first domino to fall will be DeAndre Hopkins, and if he decides he wants to win, then the Chiefs, Bills, and Eagles are some of the top spots he could land. In this, he will sign a short-term, medium money deal; something like 2 years for $14 million, $6 million guaranteed in the first year. With the Bills getting Hopkins, a smaller-scale arms race will ensue again in the AFC, with some of the top contenders and middle-of-the-pack teams looking to make a push getting big offensive names off the market. After much teasing, the Dolphins will get Dalvin Cook, on a 3-year, $30 million pact that will have no guaranteed money after the second year. The Steelers will trust in the weapons they have and turn their attention to further fortifying their offensive line, netting Taylor Lewan on a one-year deal, and with the status of Josh Jacobs still up in the air, Zeke will look to reset his value in Vegas. With these teams netting some of the best remaining talent in free agency, the NFC experiences even more of a talent drain, with Hopkins, Cook, and Elliot all coming from there, and the AFC continues to get better and better.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA Today Sports
The Second Scenario:
DeAndre Hopkins looks for one last big contract, heads back to Houston. Dalvin Cook hopes to keep winning, puts faith in retooled Rams; Ravens get Melvin Ingram to bolster defensive line, while Giants pick up Zeke.
This is the scenario where DeAndre Hopkins looks for a big contract. The Houston Texans are a team that he played with for a very long time, and the bad blood he has isn’t with the team, but more with former General Manager Bill O’Brien. Hopkins has been linked to the Titans and Patriots, but with the Patriots having O’Brien as their Offensive Coordinator this season, that takes them out of the race unless the bridge between them can be mended. Even if Hopkins is looking for money, would still prefer to be on a winning team, right? Looking at the future outlook, the Titans are trending downward while the Texans, with a young core of players are trending upwards. The Texans also need a locker-room leader, a veteran to help corral all of these young players and get them confident in their abilities and that this team can make noise. The Houston Texans make sense for Hopkins to go back to, so he signs there. With that, Dalvin Cook also takes a leap of faith and gives the Rams what they’ve been lacking in the past few seasons, a high-tier running back to take some of the work off of Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. Melvin Ingram, who has experienced a bit of a resurgence in these past few seasons, takes his services to the defensive line-needy Ravens, and in the same vein as the Raiders pick-up from the previous scenario, Big Blue picks up Elliot as insurance if Saquon Barkley holds out.
Past both of these scenarios, what’s most likely to happen is something in the middle: Hopkins thinks he can win with the Patriots, Cook still goes to the Dolphins anyway, and Taylor Lewan heads to the Steel City, and Zeke goes to a team with a star running back holding out from signing their franchise tag.
The state of free agency this offseason is interesting, and one of the more exciting times for the league post-draft in a long while.
