The will they or won’t they between the Cleveland Browns and free agent wide receiver appears to come to a logical conclusion. Hopkins is not and was not ever coming to Cleveland.

That is at least what Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot had to say. Appearing on the Chico Bormann Show, Cabot stated that there really was never an intention to “sign a DeAndre Hopkins“.

This comes as no shock. Hopkins has already began his free agent tour and Cleveland was notably absent from his early stops. That is before any reports of the money that Hopkins was seeking. With the moves that the Browns have already made in trading for Elijah Moore, signing Marquise Goodwin, and drafting Cedric Tillman. And all of that is before acknowledging the returning group of pass catchers in Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell, and David Njoku. There is also one more important piece of Cleveland’s offense worth mentioning, Nick Chubb. Chubb is going to get his fair share of touches in the running game. Finding a way to work in all of their current options at the skill positions with an overhauled offense is already a challenge. Adding a player like DeAndre Hopkins into the mix would only unnecessarily complicate things.

The Browns made their moves at the wide receiver position early this offseason and it was clear they were not really interested in playing the wait and see game when it came to DeAndre Hopkins, despite the public statements from his former quarterback Deshaun Watson.

While it may have been fun to go down memory lane for the two former Texans and seeing if they could pick up where they left off, the window for adding someone like DeAndre Hopkins to this Browns roster closed a long time ago.

Things can change fast in a week. Once considered a “strong possibility”, the chances that Cleveland Browns signing DeAndre Hopkins are now trending in the opposite direction. When analyzing a potential fit in Cleveland for Hopkins and the chances it happens, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com provided an update in both areas.

But the Browns are happy with their current receiving corps, and aren’t looking to add a big-name, high-priced player such as Hopkins at this time. It’s currently unlikely to happen, but he’s also in the never-say-never category.

First off, of course they are going to publicly say that they are happy with their current receiving options. Only the most toxic of environments would see that type of statement come out in public. Cleveland added Elijah Moore, Marquise Goodwin, and Cedric Tillman to the already established group of Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and David Njoku. Even if some of this is just generic publicity speak, this group has improved and there is a reason to be optimistic in this area.

Additionally is the never-say-never aspect of it. Andrew Berry has been known to make big pushes for certain players. If Hopkins is still available a little bit down the line and Berry decides to be aggressive or if the Browns lose a receiver due to injury, it would not be entirely impossible to envision a scenario where DeAndre Hopkins ends up in Cleveland.

A report Friday morning from Aaron Wilson suggests that the Cleveland Browns have a good chance at signing free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Wilson also mentions that a Texans reunion is not necessarily on the table.

Signing with Cleveland would reunite Hopkins with his former Texans teammate Deshaun Watson. Hopkins and Watson were quite the duo in Houston, but it is worth noting the last time the two were in the same uniform was 2019. Memory lane is fun and all, but the time between then and now combined with aging and injuries in addition to Watson missing the large chunk of time he has all adds up. There may still be that same connection, but it would not entirely be surprising to see it less effective than it was previously.

Another thing to consider is how DeAndre Hopkins landing in Cleveland would impact their current group of wide receivers. The Browns already have Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones as their top three receivers with Marquise Goodwin being their deep threat. Cleveland also has Nick Chubb in the backfield and David Njoku at the tight end position. Adding in Hopkins to this group is going to take away touches from other players. There is also that next group of wide receivers who are not starters that Hopkins would all but eliminate their contributions such as David Bell and Cedric Tillman.

It would be one thing if Hopkins was filling an immediate need vacated by a departed free agent or injury, neither are the case at the current moment. It is going to come down to how the front office views some of the current players under contract and how they want to construct this roster long term. While adding Hopkins into the mix does provide an immediate talent boost, it would also say a lot about players who many have projected to not be here next season in Cooper and Peoples-Jones. Signing Hopkins would be the first domino to fall in what could be a very different looking wide receiver room next season.

Not too long ago it would have made a ton of sense for the Cleveland Browns to pursue the recently released DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins did spend some time in Houston with current Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, and like many other former Texans that connection has been a sticking point in discussing ways on how Cleveland can improve their group of pass catchers. But with how the Browns approached free agency and the draft, Hopkins no longer fits their approach.

It would be one thing if the front office was not aggressive in improving the wide receiver group. Trading for Elijah Moore, signing Marquise Goodwin, and drafting Cedric Tillman is a pretty strong set of acquisitions to come out of the offseason with. Without these additions, Hopkins would be a clear match in Cleveland to pair (again) with Watson. If it was to be Hopkins, Amari Cooper, and Donovan Peoples-Jones it would be one thing. The three new guys inserted into the equation makes things very complicated to try and fit Hopkins into the mix.

There is also the issue with missed time. Now almost 31, DeAndre Hopkins has appeared in just 19 of a possible 34 regular season games for the Cardinals the last two seasons. This does include missing a playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams in 2021 due to a torn MCL. Hopkins did not appear in the first six games of the 2022 season due to a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.

DeAndre Hopkins does not fit Cleveland’s roster timeline

The Browns are attempting to balance the fine line between competing this season and building a sustainable roster for the future. With their additions and current roster construction, the Browns simply do not have a viable way to insert DeAndre Hopkins into their plans. If it was Hopkins of a few years ago they would find a way to make it work. Now on the wrong side of 30 and with Father Time looking to claim another victory, it would not be wise to go down this path. The Browns made their plans for their receiving corps clear earlier this season and diverting from them would be incredibly foolish at this juncture.

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly not in on trading for the Cardinals wide receiver.

It appears that DeAndre Hopkins will be landing with a new team sooner rather than later, but it does not appear to be Cleveland. The Browns are not one of the teams in on trade talks according to Josina Anderson.

This is not the most surprising development as Cleveland needs to manage their spending well. Without restarting his contract Hopkins has a near $31 million cap hit in 2023 and just over $26 million in 2024. The Browns are currently allocating $23.7 million to Amari Cooper over the next two seasons, so adding a player with a cap hit like Hopkins’ is not necessarily ideal. Unless something happens with Hopkins’ contract it appears are content with looking at options who will not require that type of financial commitment.