Report: DeAndre Hopkins unlikely to join the Browns

For weeks, the Cleveland Browns have been linked to DeAndre Hopkins but that possibility became more of a reality when he was recently released by the Arizona Cardinals. Throw in the fact that they got roughly $10 million to spend after June 1 and the dots were really being connected.

However, bad news came late Thursday night when Josina Anderson said the Browns are not likely to land Hopkins.

Per Anderson, the main holdup isn't money – as many of us expected. Instead, she says the Browns weren't looking to add anyone beyond Amari Cooper as a No. 1 target. They did add Elijah Moore as a No. 2 option across from Cooper, but were sold on him as the top dawg.

Browns weren't supposed to get Watson, so could they still land DeAndre Hopkins?

Of course, the main argument against Anderson's report is that she was one of the many reporters saying Deshaun Watson wasn't going to Cleveland, and that ended up happening. The problem is, those are two wildly different instances.

Watson was seen as a clear upgrade over Baker Mayfield and they rolled out the red carpet for him. Not only did they send their coach and general manager to Houston to court him but they also upped the ante when they offered a fully guaranteed $230 million deal.

In this situation, Anderson points out that Cleveland has their No. 1 wideout in Amari Cooper. While she said the money wasn't the driving force, they do have a $24 million hit on Cooper this season — but more importantly, they built a receiving corps around him. That means they're not likely to come back at Hopkins with a Godfather-type of deal that he won't be able to refuse.

So while it was fun to think about Hopkins and Deshaun Watson reuniting, it was always a long shot.