CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns will likely inquire about Raiders receiver Davante Adams now that he’s requested a trade, but what about DeAndre Hopkins?
He could be on the trading block too, and Deshaun Watson certainly has plenty of chemistry with him from their days together in Houston.
And what does all of this mean for Amari Cooper, who’s being mentioned as a top trade target for the Kansas City Chiefs, by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and others.
The Adams trade speculation ratcheted up on Saturday when he was scratched from the Browns game, a 20-16 Raiders victory in Las Vegas, with a hamstring suffered Thursday in practice.
They reached a fever-pitch Tuesday when Raiders coach Antonio Pierce supposedly “liked” an Instagram post suggesting that Adams has played his last down as a Raider. Later that day, NFL Network reported that Adams has told the Raiders he’d prefer to be elsewhere, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders are seeking a second-round pick as part of the compensation.
The Raiders acquired the six-time Pro Bowler in a trade with the Packers in 2022, giving up first- and second-round picks. They then re-did his contract, making him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL at the time at $28 million a year. In 37 games, he’s caught 221 passes for 2,869 yards and 23 TDs. In three starts this season, he has 18 catches for 209 yards and a TD.
Coming off his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, Adams will turn 32 in December. Teams such as the Chiefs, Jets, Commanders have already been mentioned as possible landing spots for Adams, with the trade deadline just over a month away on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.
Would it make sense for the Browns to acquire Adams? They’re 1-3 and will miss the playoffs if they don’t turn it around quickly. As it stands, they probably need to go 9-4 the rest of the way for a legitimate shot. Would Adams be enough to get them back on track? He’s owed $13.5 million of his $17.5 million salary and bonuses this season, and is under contract at $35.6 million next year and $36.6 million in 2026, but with no guaranteed money in those two final years. The Browns would have to re-do the contract, and it would cost a hefty sum, with Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson topping the market at $35 million a year.
One thing is certain: Browns GM Andrew Berry would have no trouble talking trade with Raiders first-year GM Tom Telesco, his former boss and mentor in Indianapolis.
But what about Hopkins, who has excellent chemistry with Watson from their three years together in Houston? Hopkins is rumored to be on the block with the Titans at 1-3 and not viewed as a contender. The Browns are also 1-3, but believe they can still right the ship with the Ravens at 2-2 and Bengals at 1-3.
Watson lobbied for Hopkins, 32, in 2023 at the Browns charity golf outing.
“I’ll just say this, D-Hop, DeAndre Hopkins, would love to be in a place where the opportunity is there for us to win,” Watson said then. “We check all those boxes. I think for us to know and make sure we check all those boxes on the national stage, we’ve got to go out there and prove it and I think D-Hop would love to be a part of that and proving people wrong.”
In Watson’s rookie year in 2017, Hopkins caught 45 passes and seven touchdowns in the first seven games before Watson suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Hopkins went on to lead the NFL with 13 receiving TDs that year. In 2018, Hopkins finished third in the NFL with 115 receptions and second with 1,572 yards, as well as catching 11 touchdown passes en route to his second first-team All-Pro selection. In their final season together in 2019 before Hopkins was traded to the Cardinals, he caught 104 passes for 1,165 yards and seven TDs and was voted to his third straight Pro Bowl.
“It really just starts off with him,” Watson said of their excellent connection in Houston. “He just makes the throws a lot easier. His range, catch radius is super, it’s probably the best in the league. And I mean just the things he does, he just made my job a lot easier. So I just put the ball in his direction. He made the plays.”
What does all of this mean for Cooper, who skipped the mandatory offseason program and held out of mandatory minicamp in a contract dispute? He got his $20 million salary fully guaranteed before training camp, which is what he wanted most, plus an additional $5 million in incentives. But he didn’t get the coveted extension, and the guarantee didn’t stop the Browns from trying to trade for 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk during camp.
With Cooper’s contract up after this season, it might make sense for the Browns to move him and get something in return. He might also be part of a swap for another receiver. After the Browns’ supposed offer of Cooper and two draft picks for Aiyuk was reported, Cooper posted on Instagram, “lol I wouldn’t have minded at all.” He left it up to reporters to interpret the meaning, but it certainly seemed a response to the trade terms.
After getting off to a slow start in his first two games – with two dropped likely TD passes – he was back to himself in the loss to the Giants, catching 7 of 12 targets for 86 yards with two TDs. In Vegas, he caught only 4 of 8 targets for 35 yards, but his 82 yard TD catch was nullified by a holding call against Nick Harris.
A third-quarter pass over the deep middle bounced off of his chest and was picked off, with the Raiders converting it into a TD to extend their lead to 20-10. Cooper was also the primary read on the last-ditch fourth and 3 at the 9, but didn’t beat the safety in time. He was the first Browns player to bolt the field, and was out of the locker room by the time reporters got in.
Question is, would the Browns be willing to trade Cooper if they didn’t land another premier receiver? It would be risky. Jerry Jeudy is playing well and David Njoku is coming back, but Cooper has still been the Browns’ No. 1 target. Will it stay that way?
