Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been on the open market for nearly a week now after he was released by the Cardinals. As he continues his search for a new home, one contender is reportedly unlikely to sign him—and the reason is apparently Hopkins’s high asking price.
Hopkins is looking for a deal on the same level as the one-year contract Odell Beckham Jr. got from the Ravens, which came with $15 million in guaranteed salary and up to $3 million in incentives, according to The Athletic‘s Tim Graham. At that salary, the Bills are considered to be a “long shot” to add the five-time All-Pro wideout, Graham reports.
Arizona tried to find a trade partner before Hopkins’ release, but were unable to find a team willing to take on the $19.45 million Hopkins would have made in 2023, per SI‘s Albert Breer. Executives around the league are divided on how much Hopkins, who turns 31 in June, has left in the tank.
“Still great hands, he is not going to separate, not much of a deep threat, but very strong, and makes contested catches as well as anyone in the NFL,” one AFC exec told Breer. “Does not love to practice—I can’t imagine that’ll get any better. … But he always shows up on game day. He’s gonna have to go to a team that knows what they’re getting. You cannot expect a perfect-attendance type of worker.”
Entering his 11th season in the league, Hopkins had 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games last year. He missed the first six games of the season while serving a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
