The Arizona Cardinals have made wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins available for a trade and the belief is that something will get done by the draft or during the draft.
His salary keeps being a sticking point.
He is due to make more than $19 million in salary in 2023. That isn’t too bad for a top receiver, but interested teams don’t want to pay that full amount.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, “interested teams have wanted Arizona to pay a portion of his $19.45 million salary.”
Because of prorated cap hits to bonuses and restructures, the Cardinals will only get about $8 million in cap relief if they pay none of the salary for this coming season.
So you can see why the Cardinals would be reluctant to pay anything.
If they have to pay even $5 million of the salary this year, they get only $3 million in cap relief.
Saving $3 million with no Hopkins on the roster makes little sense. Saving more than $8 million helps a little more.
Ultimately, a team like the Chiefs, Bills or Ravens, who need to add receiver help, will likely pay up but it might not cost them as much in draft capital than the Cardinals might be seeking.
But keep an eye on the news on Thursday or Friday. A deal is likely coming.
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