There is always a right time and a right place for the right player, and at the right price, of course. 

The Giants should pass on DeAndre Hopkins. 

Let someone else’s eyes be bigger than his stomach. 

Do the Giants still lack a No. 1 receiver? 

Yes they do. 

Is Hopkins still a No. 1 receiver? 

When he plays, although there will be NFL people who would tell you not anymore. 

Hopkins, because of his six-game PED suspension at the start of last season and an assortment of injuries, has missed 15 games over the past two seasons. The rebuilding Cardinals took a $22.6 million dead-cap hit when they released him. 

Smart, tough and dependable? Certainly not dependable. 

Before I forget: Happy Birthday to the man they call Nuk, who gets to blow out 31 candles Tuesday. 

Now, TE Darren Waller will be 31 in September with an injury history. That didn’t stop Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll from trading for him. 

But would it make sense to add another 31-year-old target with question marks for Daniel Jones? 

Is DeAndre Hopkins the missing piece to any Super Bowl puzzle that Aaron Rodgers was and is for the Jets? 

He is not. 

The Giants also added WR Parris Campbell, injury-prone but only 26 in July, and re-signed Darius Slayton, 26, and spent a third-round draft choice on WR Jalin Hyatt. I would worry that the presence of Hopkins would delay Hyatt’s promising promise. Wan’Dale Robinson, the 2022 second-round draft, returns from his torn ACL, as well. 

Hopkins won’t break anyone’s bank, but by my calculations (not to mention trusted Over the Cap’s calculation), the Giants are only $3,824,536 under the cap. 

And I still cling to the belief that the Giants and Saquon Barkley will reach a compromise deal for an extension. 

Marquee wide receivers these days are not unlike NBA superstars who force their way into the arms of salivating suitors. 

The Giants themselves entertained the idea of an Odell Beckham Jr. reunion in part because Barkley and Sterling Shepard lobbied for one and John Mara was sorry to see him exiled by former GM Dave Gettleman. The Ravens, in part to entice Lamar Jackson to take the money and stay, took the one-year, $15 million risk. 

Eagles GM Howie Roseman traded for a 25-year-old A.J. Brown. Right time, right player. Bills GM Brandon Beane traded for a 26-year-old Stefon Diggs. Right time, right player. Dolphins GM Chris Grier traded for a 28-year-old Tyreek Hill. Right time, right player. Jets GM Joe Douglas was in on Hill as well as Brown as well as a 26-year-old Deebo Samuel. Raiders GM Dave Ziegler, much to Rodgers’ chagrin, traded for a 29-year-old Davante Adams. Right time, right player. 

Tee Higgins turned 24 in January. He is currently a No. 2 WR in a No. 1 WR body, a 1,000-yard receiver each of the past two seasons with 13 TDs. The Bengals will have to pay No. 1 Ja’Marr Chase and QB Joe Burrow, and Higgins is entering the last year of his rookie contract. 

If for some reason the best-laid plans of mice and Bengals dissolve, sign me up for Tee Higgins, who showed up for the voluntary program last month. 

“I love the game, man,” Higgins said. “I wanted to come in and work. I live here in Cincinnati. Why not come in and work out? For free? End of the day, I’m just here to get my work in.” 

Jaylen Waddle will be eligible for an extension after the 2023 season, but will the Dolphins be able to pay Hill and Tua Tagovailoa and Waddle? 

Browns GM Andrew Berry traded for a 28-year-old Amari Cooper. And should Hopkins reunite with Deshaun Watson, Cooper would become expendable. He will turn 30 before the start of 2024 training camp. 

But there should be even better options. 

Tee Higgins would be the right player at the right time for the right price … for the 2024 Giants. The Giants loved Waddle before the 2021 NFL Draft. He would be the right player at the right time for the right price … for the 2024 Giants. Nuke the idea of Nuk.