The Cardinals released star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after failing to find a trade partner for the veteran, the team announced Friday.
With the release of Hopkins, who spent three seasons with the team, the Cardinals will absorb a dead cap hit of $22.6 million next season. He will not be designated as a June 1 cut, which would’ve allowed Arizona to delay some of the cap impact to 2024, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
After being acquired from the Texans in 2020, Hopkins played 35 games for Arizona, hauling in 221 receptions for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Although he never officially requested a trade, Hopkins appeared ready to move on from the Cardinals.
“What I want is stable management upstairs. That’s something I haven’t really had the past couple years of my career coming over from Houston and then to Arizona,” Hopkins said recently on the I Am Athlete podcast. “A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board with him, not just himself but everybody around him … and a great defense. A great defense wins championships.”
Although Hopkins is no longer widely considered to be an elite NFL receiver, the soon-to-be 31-year-old still has proven to be productive following his peak in Houston.
