The Denver Broncos have tried -- and failed -- to land a couple of high-profile receivers in the 2023 offseason so far. They made a push to sign former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard before he ultimately decided to reunite with Nathaniel Hackett with the New York Jets instead. They were in the mix for former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who ended up signing with the Carolina Panthers.
If the Broncos were interested in Allen Lazard and Adam Thielen, it makes some sense that they still have interest in the rest of the available wide receiver market, although that's not a guarantee. At this point, after trying (and failing) to land Lazard and Thielen, the Broncos may realize that their best bet is to just roll with the crew they have, add in the draft, and perhaps look into some other free agent possibilities as the market dies down a bit.
Or...they could go for one last blockbuster opportunity. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, trade talks regarding Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins have been "ramping up" lately.
As the status of #AZCardinals star WR DeAndre Hopkins comes into focus, talks are ramping up among the interested teams, sources say. Similar to Brandin Cooks, a trade would likely mean an altered contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 21, 2023
The wide receiver market has somewhat thinned out since the Broncos apparently decided not to move Jerry Jeudy, who presumably could have brought in the highest value in a potential trade. If the team has been interested in DeAndre Hopkins at all throughout this process, it's likely that no one would have any clue about it considering how tight-lipped things have been around the organization throughout the offseason.
You might be wondering if things have been so tight-lipped, how did it get out that the team had interest in Lazard and Thielen? Well, the interest in Lazard was reported by multiple outlets who have ties to Lazard's side of things, and Adam Thielen himself publicly stated the Broncos' interest in bringing him in.
The Broncos have just five selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. They're probably not going to part with any of them without a fight and we know general manager George Paton drives a hard bargain. Given the fact that Brandin Cooks just went for a 5th and a future 6th-round pick, it's fair to wonder how much a player like Hopkins would command in return. Hopkins will be 31 in June and would require a new contract, but I don't think a new contract would be a hold-up.
He's no longer 25 years old, so a new contract at the age of 30 going on 31 would almost undoubtedly be of the short-term variety. The draft capital is probably the biggest hang-up here. The Broncos would have to part ways with one of their five picks, but for DeAndre Hopkins? Well, you just might do it.
Not to mention, acquiring Hopkins would almost undoubtedly mean an eventual Courtland Sutton (or somebody) trade for the Broncos. You might trade a pick for Hopkins, and get a better one back for the younger Sutton, especially if the Broncos are willing to eat a portion of his salary in 2023.
There are ways the team could make this work if they want to. They need to get some more players under rookie deals and that will come, but you can't help but wonder if they might be involved on Hopkins after their pursuit of Lazard and Thielen fell short.