I think J.J. has to be back on the field before any team takes that chance unless you decide to take one fragile big contract player for him (say, Tony Romo).
The old baseball adage is that you don't want to overpay for a closer because too many pitchers can do the job well enough if given the chance. I think we're reaching a phase when you don't want to overpay for a WR because it seems like every year another six-to-eight guys at 6-2 or above and monster college stats come out of the draft so you can easily find one among the top 50 selections. It's become a glamor position and a lot of guys with NBA-type height and track-star speed are choosing to play football instead of basketball or some other sport.
IOW, Hopkins becomes less special when you notice how many other teams have young, talented wide receivers that are close to the same efficiency. Even if that receiver is slightly less skilled than D-Hop, paying him 1/4th of D-Hop's salary does make sense cap-wise, particularly when your QB is so ordinary.
That's the difference between D-Hop and J.J. Watt. When healthy, Watt is in the stratosphere of players at his position - a truly rare find. D-Hop, at his best, is maybe a top-10 receiver and you can list off a handful of WRs that are clearly better.
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