The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs might not be the only AFC teams in pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins.
The Browns probably shouldn't be counted out in the Hopkins sweepstakes, which became more accessible last week when the Arizona Cardinals released the star wide receiver. Cleveland, of course, is quarterbacked by Deshaun Watson, who threw passes to Hopkins across four seasons in Houston. The five-time Pro Bowl selection set career highs in receiving yards (1,572), catches (118) and receiving touchdowns (13) in seasons where Watson controlled the Texans offense.
Watson, who's entering his first full season as the Browns' starting signal-caller, acknowledged on Tuesday that he'd "love" to have Hopkins in his arsenal. The three-time Pro Bowler also made a pitch to his former teammate.
"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 told reporters, per ESPN "We check all those boxes and 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."
Those boxes (stable management, good defense, inspired quarterback) were listed as priorities for Hopkins in a recent podcast interview. The wideout-needy Patriots satisfy the criteria, and Hopkins' recent Instagram activity suggests he has some interest in New England.
