DeAndre Hopkins could be eyeing one particular team, plus 12 juicy NFL futures bets you can make right now

If there’s one thing that happens almost every year in the NFL, it’s that a player has a breakout season during a contract year and then uses that breakout season to cash in during free agency. 

With that in mind, Chris Trapasso decided to take a look at five players who could be primed to have a breakout season as they head into the final year of their contract. 

Let’s take a look at his list: 

• 1. Panthers WR Laviska Shenault Jr. “Shenault has a legitimate case as the NFL’s best yards-after-the-catch receiver. I’m serious. In 2021, he forced 20 missed tackles on just 63 receptions as a member of the Jaguars. Then, in 2022, he forced 15 missed tackles on a mere 27 grabs. Preposterous. He simply needs more opportunity and steady quarterback play.”
• 2. Titans DE Teair Tart. “After seeing the field for just under 500 total snaps in his first two seasons combined in Tennessee, Tart received 520 in 2022 and gave the Titans ample return on investment with 26 pressures on 305 pass-rushing snaps, which featured nine contests with at least two pressures. Tart and Jeffery Simmons are a load on the inside of Tennessee’s defensive front. Simmons got a well-deserved extension a few months ago. Tart will be next — and the deal could come during the season.”
• 3. Jets DE Bryce Huff. “Last year — his third season in the NFL — Huff registered 36 pressures on 173 pass-rush snaps, equivalent to a 20.8% pressure-generate rate, which extrapolated out is in the Micah Parsons range. He’s primed for a dynamic season thanks to his burst, bend, and tenacious hand work. He has the goods to beat tackles in a multitude of ways, which will spark his breakout campaign.”
• 4. Falcons LB Mykal Walker. “Walker is the best linebacker in football you’ve likely never heard of. A former fourth-round pick from Fresno State, Walker’s production has swelled in each of his first three seasons in Atlanta, culminating with a 107-tackle, six pass-breakup, four tackle-for-loss, two-interception campaign without much defensive line help — outside of Grady Jarrett — in front of him in 2022.”
• 5. Saints WR Bryan Edward. “The Saints receiver spent the first two seasons of his career catching passes from Derek Carr with the Raiders, and now, he’ll be catching passes from Carr again in New Orleans. Yes, there’s Chris Olave and Michael Thomas in the Saints wideout room. But not much else. I expect Edwards to finally get the chance to play like the pass-catcher he was in college in 2023 and earn a lucrative albeit not super-expensive contract next offseason.”

If you want to read Trapasso’s full explanation for why he put each player on his list, be sure to click here. 

4. Free agency matchmaker: DeAndre Hopkins makes sense with Chiefs, Carson Wentz to Green Bay

 As everyone knows, when it comes to playing matchmaker, there’s no one better than Cody Benjamin. I’m not sure if it’s because he spends half his week watching old episodes of “Blind Date” or if it’s because the only show he used to watch as a kid was “The Newlywed Game,” but Cody is the king of matchmaking. 

Due to that fact, we asked him to match up several free agents with the team that would be the best fit for them. Cody decided to play matchmaker for 11 free agents and we’re going to list five of those below. 

• Match: DeAndre Hopkins and the Chiefs. “Kansas City doesn’t have as much money to offer as, say, the Panthers or Patriots. But if Hopkins is serious about lining up with a star QB for a title run, well, this is the place to be. It helps that the Chiefs could use a proven outside target to plug in alongside gadget types like Kadarius Toney”  
• Match: Ezekiel Elliott and the Chargers. “Los Angeles isn’t in dire need of a running back as long as Austin Ekeler is in tow, but Ekeler is at his best as a passing outlet for Justin Herbert, and despite a relatively inefficient closing chapter with the Cowboys, Elliott still has the wherewithal to hold a rotational role.”
• Match: Carson Wentz and the Packers. “Lost in Green Bay’s transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love is the fact the Packers have yet to add a single experienced backup for their new quarterback.”
• Match: Jarvis Landry and the Vikings. “The Vikings already addressed wide receiver by spending a first-rounder on Jordan Addison, whose route-running skills should pair perfectly with the explosive Justin Jefferson. But Landry shouldn’t cost much. If healthy, he’d profile as solid competition for K.J. Osborn in the slot”
• Match: Teddy Bridgewater and the Cardinals. “With Kyler Murray possibly not being ready to start the 2023 season, Bridgewater would be a proven stopgap with ties to Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.”

To check out where Cody has six other free agents landing, be sure to click here

5. One burning question for every team in the AFC East

With all the roster changes that have happened around the league this offseason, there are plenty of questions that each team will need to answer before we know if they’ll actually be good in 2023. 

With that in mind, we’ve been going through each division to look at the biggest questions for each team, and today, we’re going to cover the AFC East. 

Here’s one burning question Tyler Sullivan has come up with for each team. 

• Bills: Can Dalton Kincaid contribute immediately? “The Bills identified Kincaid as the missing piece to their offense and decided to trade up to the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to take the Utah tight end. The question surrounding this addition is whether or not Kincaid can buck the trend of first-round tight ends having so-so rookie seasons. There have been eight tight ends taken in the first round since 2014 and only two have recorded at least 45 receptions (Evan Engram and Kyle Pitts).”
• Dolphins: Will Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy? “If Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy after a scary concussion-filled season in 2022, Miami has the ability to crash the division race in the AFC East and the overall AFC playoff picture.The Dolphins were 8-5 when Tagovialoa started last season and he enjoyed the best season of his career in his first year under McDaniel. … If he can remain healthy, he has the ability and weaponry to go toe to toe with Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen in the division.”
• Patriots: Can Bill O’Brien get Mac Jones back on track? “After decades of dominance within this division, the Patriots find themselves at the bottom of the AFC East power rankings. However, the team did make a significant move by hiring Bill O’Brien to be its offensive coordinator after the debacle of Matt Patricia running the unit in 2022. The former Alabama OC should provide some stability for this unit, which gives Mac Jones a shot at getting his career back on track.”
• Jets: Will Aaron Rodgers live up to the hype? “The Jets have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL next season based on their opponents’ projected win total, so the path will be a difficult one for Aaron Rodgers. He’ll need to overcome that as he looks to live up to the championship aspirations his arrival has brought to New York.”

To read Sullivan’s full answer to each of these burning questions, be sure to click here.

6. Extra points: Raiders don’t seem worried about Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury