The Arizona Cardinals are shipping wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a deal could happen in the next few days as free agency commences. What exactly are the Cardinals hoping to get in a trade for the stud wideout?
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cardinals are seeking “hefty compensation.”
They want a “premium Day 2 pick and more.”
It would appear that they are hoping to net roughly what they gave up to acquire him three years ago — a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick, essentially.
To be able to get that same haul after three years would be ideal.
According to Fowler, Hopkins’ age and his suspension last season for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance are concerns.
The two years remaining on his contract are manageable and, per Fowler, is easily reworkable to save as much as $10 million against the cap this year.
Trading Hopkins would give the Cardinals cap relief in a year in which they are retooling their roster. They will gain more than $8 million in cap space but will incur more than $22 million in dead money this year, freeing up more than $25 million in cap space in 2024.
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