Insider says DeAndre Hopkins to 49ers doesn't make sense

Niner Noise already argued the 49ers aren't a likely landing spot for former Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and a team insider is now supporting our claim, too

It's not unusual when a star player somehow finds himself released, especially at a point when there aren't a lot of other major transactions taking place.

When said player is dismissed, the first thing every fanbase will do is clamor to the thought of him joining their favorite squad.

Late last week, the Arizona Cardinals parted ways with All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, essentially giving into his desire to play elsewhere and fully committing to the team rebuild from top to bottom by offboarding arguably their most prized asset.

While Hopkins is now on the wrong side of 30 years old and is coming off a 2022 campaign that was littered by both injuries and a PED suspension, it didn't take long for San Francisco 49ers fans to think about what he'd look like in the red and gold.

Niner Noise already argued against the likelihood of that happening. For starters, Hopkins would be joining a team already set at wide receiver with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and Hopkins also isn't likely to take away touches from tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey either.

Why would Hopkins want to go into that kind of context? Other Super Bowl-contending teams, like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, have elite quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, respectively, but lack the receiving depth and talent in contrast to the Niners.

For a more prominent opportunity with a winner, teams like KC or Buffalo make much more sense.

Now, another San Francisco insider is arguing the same point.

Matt Maiocco says DeAndre Hopkins to 49ers is 'a non-starter'

NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco is pretty well plugged into the 49ers, and his pulse of their interests and non-interests is solid.

So, if Maiocco is saying that Hopkins donning a Niners uniform doesn't make sense, it's pretty logical.

"It remains to be seen where Hopkins ends up playing this season, but the 49ers do not appear to be among his potential landing spots," Maiocco wrote. "The 49ers already have top-flight wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, so there’s no reason for either side to move toward San Francisco landing Hopkins."

Additionally, the Niners have only a little more than $10 million in salary cap space, currently, and Hopkins is probably going to ask for significantly more than that (and will likely get it, too).

From San Francisco's vantage point, should it spend that money, it'd likely be on other positions that aren't quite as deep as wide receiver. Tack on Hopkins' well-documented beef with 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward, and the former becoming a teammate of the latter isn't going to happen.

"Going out and adding another high-priced veteran receiver — especially one who is on the wrong side of 30 and coming off injuries — is a non-starter," Maiocco concluded.

Hard to argue against that.

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