The Arizona Cardinals are looking to receive ‘hefty compensation’ in any trade discussions regarding star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Hopkins’ future was addressed by new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as he admitted he wasn’t sure if the receiver was going to be on his roster for the 2023 season. The 30-year-old is considered a premier receiver in the NFL but his trade market value may not reflect his talent.
The three-time All-Pro has caught 106 passes for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns over just 19 games since the start of the 2021 campaign. He struggled with hamstring injuries in 2021 before suffering a torn MCL, which prematurely ended his season.
Hopkins was then suspended for the first six games of 2022 after testing positive for an illegal performance-enhancing substance and missed Arizona's final two contests because of another knee issue. The Cardinals missed the playoffs as they finished the year with a paltry record of 4-13 - but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the franchise still want at least a ‘Day 2 pick’, which is in the second and third rounds.
Three years ago, the Cardinals traded a second-round pick and a fourth-round selection to bring Hopkins to the desert and it appears they are hoping to receive something similar to what they gave up. However, Hopkins’ suspension and age are valid concerns.
The former Texan will be 31 when the 2023 campaign kicks off, and other star receivers have seen major performance declines since turning 30 years of age. Julio Jones’ production has steadily tailed off in the same vein to A.J. Green and Antonio Brown among others.
Hopkins’ salary is also a concern; he is set to earn $19.5million and $14.9m in base salary over the next two years. The two years remaining on his contract are reportedly manageable and can easily be reworked to save as much as $10m against the cap this year.
Meanwhile, trading Hopkins would give the Cardinals cap relief in a year in which they appear to be overhauling their roster. While they will gain more than $8m in cap space, Arizona would face more than $22m in dead money this year to then free up more than $25m in cap space for 2024.
Across his nine games in 2022, Hopkins collected 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns. He addressed his future this week and sounded like a player who was expecting to get traded in the near future.
“I would love to give you as much information as I can, but right now, we have just been keeping our head down,” Hopkins told the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. “Obviously we are paying attention to the headlines and tabloids, because you've got to. When you hear some of those trade rumours, you would hate to think that all of those things are lies.
“I’ve been traded before and heard speculation about it and kind of shooed it off and I was like, ‘Nah, the Texans would never trade me’. Next thing you know, here I am with the Cardinals.
“We keep close attention to the tabloids, but we don't put anything out in the tabloids ourselves.”
