The Arizona Cardinals are going through some serious revamping projects. Within a day of firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and the resignation of Steve Keim as GM, the roster is getting a blow to their jaw. Reportedly, the Cardinals are planning to trade their leading pass catcher of the season, DeAndre Hopkins, in the off-season.
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Hopkins, who still has 2 years and $34.36 million left on his contract, is likely to seek a new deal wherever he ends up at. There has been no reasoning yet from the team yet, so it’s a field day for the rumor mills. However, even with missing 8 games this season, he is still the Cardinals leading pass receiver with 717 yards.
The 5-time Pro Bowler is touted to earn $19.45 million this year, and has a $30.75 million cap hit for 2023, the highest on the team. He was traded to the Cardinals by the Houston Texans back in 2020, where he proved himself to be one of the best receivers in the league. In the three seasons with the Cardinals, he’s played in 19 games, with 221 receptions for 2,696 yards, and 17 touchdowns.
However, Hopkins’ contract with the Cardinals includes a no-trade clause. This means if the Cardinals do find a good deal to include Hopkins as a trade-in, he would have to agree to it. Which could further complicate things for the Cardinals. Reportedly, owner Michael Bidwell is introducing the idea of trading Hopkins to all his prospective GM candidates.
NFL Fans try to get their hands on DeAndre Hopkins for their own teams
When the news of the potential trade finally hit social media, the NFL community was thrown into a frenzy. Hopkins may be a bit on the older side, but even with the age and the injuries, he’s shown the league that he can still be the no.1 receiver that a team needs. Although it hasn’t necessarily translated well for his team, fans don’t seem to care.
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While the fans are all excited to bring D-Hop into their teams, whether the new GM would even want to part with such as asset is still a question. Hopkins is hoping to sign a new contract, and presumably, that will be the case even if he’s staying in Arizona. Hopkins hasn’t played a full season in the last two years. This might be why the Cardinals are not too keen on retaining his expensive services.
Whichever way this goes, Hopkins should ideally come out with a good opportunity. Except if he’s still with the Cardinals, of course. With the New York Giants the predominant frontrunner in the market looking for a receiver, Hopkins could find a new home in the NFC East.
The best-case scenario for the Cardinals would be to embark on a reconstruction journey. Which would effectively rule them out as a threat next season. To aid this, they’ll be hoping DeAndre Hopkins will bring home some juicy draft picks, which will boost their attempts at building a better team. Sitting in 4th in the NFC West with 4-13, the only way (ideally) should be up. Will they make it happen?
