NFL Rumors: Top Free Agent Running Back Could Link Up With Free Agent Wide Receiver

The NFL's top two remaining free agents may end up becoming a package deal. Speaking with ESPN's Adam Schefter, four-time Pro Bowl running back and former Minnesota Viking Dalvin Cook entertained the idea of joining up with fellow free agent and perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a new team, describing the possibility as "epic."

Four-time Pro-Bowl RB @dalvincook says it would be “epic” to team up with free-agent WR @DeAndreHopkins.

Plus, fantasy tips on which players to draft and which players to avoid from ESPN’s @MikeClayNFL.

🎧 https://t.co/SrTI8QAblR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 20, 2023

Cook and Hopkins were both somewhat surprising cuts earlier this offseason. Cook is coming off his fourth-straight Pro Bowl season after finishing with 1468 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns. Hopkins has averaged a solid 67.8 receiving yards per game and 8.1 yards per target over the past two years but has missed 15 games over that same period.

Cook and Hopkins don't have much history together, but players of a certain age and calibre tend to float in the same circles. They've played a number of times against each other and have likely crossed paths at Pro Bowls. Their star power and stature in the league would increase the credibility of any offense in the league.

That's assuming a team could make the money work. Cook is still reportedly looking for a significant contract. Hopkins is likely hoping for a deal in the neighborhood of Odell Beckham's one-year, $15 million pact with the Baltimore Ravens, signed earlier this offseason. Accommodating both would require resources organizations aren't often willing to part with this late in the team-building process.

Cook and Hopkins aren't quite the superstars they once were; if they could get everything they wanted, they wouldn't be free agents right now. More than likely, they'll have to pick and choose their priorities. If they genuinely want to play together, they may have to settle for less money or team up on a team that isn't a sure contender.