CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns held their 23rd Annual Cleveland Browns Foundation Golf Tournament, but as quarterback Deshaun Watson hit the links, his wedge wasn't the only thing pitching, as Watson was candid about his desire to reunite with free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowl receiver, was released from the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, making him a free agent open for his next opportunity with a new team.
Watson has a close relationship with Hopkins. They were teammates on the Houston Texans when Hopkins went to three of his five Pro Bowls. The two have remained close throughout their recent journeys to new teams.
"Me and D-Hop, we just naturally talk. We've been talking since the Houston days and then also whenever he left for Arizona we were always talking. So he's always been a brother of mine since I was coming out of high school. Our connection, our relationship has always been great," Watson said before the golf outing Tuesday.
Hopkins has been rumored to be interested in several teams, including the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs—because of his desire to join a winner.
Watson knows that being a team in contention is something that will likely be on the top of Hopkins' wish list and thinks the Browns can offer that to him.
"DeAndre Hopkins, would love to be in a place where the opportunity is there for us to win. Like you said, we check all those boxes," Watson said. "I think for us to know and make sure we check all those boxes on the national stage, we got to go out there and prove it and I think D-Hop would love to be a part of that and proving people wrong."
The Browns have added talent to the receiver room already this offseason, trading for wide receiver Elijah Moore, acquiring Marquise Goodwin and selecting Cedric Tillman in this year's NFL Draft. They'll help boost the room led by veteran Amari Cooper and the bigger-bodied Donovan Peoples-Jones.
However, adding Hopkins is something that Watson believes could take them to an even higher level.
"I think any situation for D-Hop would be perfect for him, but of course with me having another weapon along with all the other great weapons we have in that locker room and in that room, we always love to add talent," Watson said.
Watson is hopeful the Browns make a play for the receiver, and said he's been working to do his part to make the connection happen—but at the end of the day, knows it's all in the hands of the front office and general manager Andrew Berry.
"I know there's a lot of things swirling around in the media of him possibly coming to Cleveland. And for me, my answer to that is of course we would love to have him," Watson said. "He knows that we had a lot of connections, but that's kind of out of my range of things, of kind of coordinating things. So all I can do is make a call and see what happens, and let AB do the rest."
On Tuesday, Hopkins hired Klutch Sports' Cleveland-based agent Kelton Crenshaw to represent him in free agency. Interesting as that development is, which would seemingly bode well in possible negotiations with the Browns, it could also have no impact at all.
Whether the Browns pursue Hopkins remains to be seen, but even if Cleveland isn't a player in the hunt for the Pro Bowl receiver, head coach Kevin Stefanski is confident in the roster they've built thus far.
"I really, really like our wide receiver room. I love the guys that are in there. Andrew and his crew are always looking at every avenue and that type of thing, so I won't comment specifically on the player other than to say I really like our roster," Stefanski said.
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