The New York Jets made a blockbuster trade for wide receiver Davante Adams on Tuesday. Hours later, the Buffalo Bills acquired fellow veteran receiver Amari Cooper in a deal with the Cleveland Browns. Both deals offer the Tennessee Titans the perfect blueprint for a potential DeAndre Hopkins trade.
The Jets parted with a conditional third-round pick that could become a second-round selection in exchange for Adams, if certain conditions are met. The Bills sent a 2025 third and a 2026 seventh for Cooper and a 2025 sixth.
Titans general manager Ran Carthon has a strong argument to ask for something similar in return for Hopkins, who like Cooper, is an aging asset on an expiring contract.
Since the start of the 2023 season:
Hopkins: 32 years old at the end of the season
Adams: 32 years old at the end of the season
Hopkins: 22 games played
Adams: 20 games played
Hopkins: 1,232 receiving yards
Adams: 1,353 receiving yards
Hopkins: 13.8 yards per reception
Adams: 11.2 yards per reception
Hopkins: 8 receiving touchdowns
Adams: 9 receiving touchdowns
Hopkins and Adams are no longer in their prime, but these are two Hall of Famers who are still playing at a high level with skill sets that have aged as gracefully as possible.
You could argue that the Jets slightly overpaid for Adams to reunite him with Aaron Rodgers, and that the Titans won't get the same value for Hopkins. However, the Titans have an ace up their sleeve when it comes to Hopkins.
It cost the Jets $11.5 million in 2024 cap space to trade for Adams, but a team that trades for Hopkins would only need a little over half of that. The Titans could also theoretically do some cap shenanigans to lower that number if it helps sweeten the deal.
There is no shortage of teams that should be looking to bolster their passing attacks at this point in the season. The Kansas City Chiefs stand out, and they could consider a potential knee-jerk reaction to Buffalo's deal for Cooper. The Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, and Pittsburgh Steelers are fellow postseason contenders that could use pass-catching help.
If the Titans are realistic, they are already in sell-now mode and Hopkins is their most intriguing asset. The market has been set, and now Carthon needs to prove that he learned from his mistake last season when the Titans didn't get a deal done to trade Derrick Henry at the deadline.
And if you are one of the few who don't think that a pick you get back for Hopkins would help that much in the future, remember that Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Jha'Quan Jackson were both drafted with the picks that the Titans received for trading Kevin Byard last season. Both Brownlee Jr. and Jackson have been immediate contributors.
If the Titans are realistic, they'll attempt to trade Hopkins prior to the deadline. Teams in similar positions such as the Raiders and Browns just admitted the obvious. With Adams and Cooper deals now complete, It's time for the Titans to do something similar.