The NFL rumor mill was set ablaze at the end of last week when the Arizona Cardinals opted to release former All-Pro wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. He had been on the trade block since the start of the offseason, but a deal never materialized.

There were likely a few reasons that occurred. While DeAndre Hopkins remains productive, he has struggled to stay on the field the last two seasons. He missed seven games in 2021 and eight in 2022. How expensive his current contract is, and the desire to sign a new deal, limited the market for him as well.

Now, DeAndre Hopkins will be free to choose his next team after being released. He has been very open about which teams he wants to play for, recently revealing the quarterbacks he would love to be teammates with. Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are who DeAndre Hopkins would like to team up with, which is likely similar to the list of every wide receiver in the NFL.

While those may be his preferred landing spots, other teams will assuredly be in the mix. Plenty of teams around the league could use a player of his caliber and he will have no shortage of suitors.

One team to keep an eye on is the Las Vegas Raiders. They are a team that could be in the mix to sign the veteran wide receiver, which would create a star pairing along with Davante Adams. Slowing down those two would be very difficult for opponents.

“As for the Raiders?” Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News wrote. (H/T ClutchPoints) “Well, one thing they have is no state income tax, and they’re close to Hopkins’ temporary Arizona home.”

There would certainly be draws to joining the Raiders, but the biggest obstacle would likely be selling him on Jimmy Garoppolo as his starting quarterback. Garoppolo isn’t in the same class as the players mentioned earlier and could be a hard sell if their respective franchises show interest in DeAndre Hopkins.

Alas, you can be sure that the Raiders will do their due diligence. Whenever the opportunity to upgrade your roster is presented, it is one you need to explore.