DeAndre Hopkins has seemingly been on the trade block for the entire NFL offseason, but the latest rumors suggest the Arizona Cardinals may have to cut the 30-year-old pass catcher. Appearing on The Greg Bedard Podcast, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggested that the league is not lining up to acquire Hopkins.
“Some teams think that Cardinals are going to cut him. They think the Cardinals will wind up cutting him,” Breer said. “His market is not great right now … Clearly, there’s nobody that was willing to take on the contract and pay the Cardinals’ initial price.”
DeAndre Hopkins Is Proving Difficult To Trade
Hopkins is undoubtedly still a talented player. After returning from his six-game PED suspension last season, Hopkins posted 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games. Among receivers with at least 90 targets in 2022, Hopkins ranked 17th in yards per route run, just behind Terry McLaurin and DeVonta Smith and ahead of Ja’Marr Chase and DK Metcalf.
But when teams trade for players, they’re also trading for contracts. Hopkins has two years and more than $34 million in salary remaining on his deal. He’s due $19.45 million in 2023 alone — only nine NFL teams currently have enough cap space to absorb that figure.
Hopkins’ PED ban voided his no-trade clause, but his contractual situation will allow him to exert leverage over any trade negotiations. Because any team that acquires Hopkins will likely want to rework his pact, he’ll have a say about where he eventually lands.
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Keeping Hopkins doesn’t make much sense for Arizona. The Cardinals are starting a rebuilding process and may be open to trading the No. 3 overall pick to acquire more assets. A veteran receiver like Hopkins doesn’t fit with new general manager Monti Ossenfort’s plan.
Releasing Hopkins before June 1 would leave Arizona with $21+ million in dead money but create almost $9 million in cap savings. A post-June 1 cut would leave $10.5 million in dead cap in both 2023 and 2024.
Rival clubs may sense that they can wait out the Cardinals and hope they release Hopkins. If Hopkins hits the open market, where are his best destinations around the NFL?
DeAndre Hopkins Landing Spots
New England Patriots
The Patriots swapped out Jakobi Meyers for JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason, but they could still add another outside receiver to a mix that includes DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Tyquan Thornton.
However, there are complications involved with sending Hopkins to New England. Bill O’Brien, the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator, clashed with Hopkins when the Texans employed both and eventually traded the wideout to the Cardinals. On Monday morning, ESPN’s Dan Graziano called O’Brien’s presence a “limiting factor” in a potential Hopkins trade.
Moreover, Breer indicated that Patriots would only be comfortable giving up compensation “way, way, way down from Arizona’s initial ask.”
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have looked into Hopkins, as Jeremy Folwer of ESPN reported last week. Baltimore has done next to nothing this offseason as it waits for the situation with franchise-tagged quarterback Lamar Jackson to play out, but the Ravens could be interested in bringing a veteran receiver aboard.
Baltimore could certainly use the help. Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay ended the year on injured reserve in 2022, leaving journeyman Demarcus Robinson as the Ravens’ leading wide receiver.
Earlier this year, general manager Eric DeCosta mentioned the difficulty of building a receiver room given that his team has a “big-ticket item” at quarterback, and the Ravens have just $6.1 million in cap space. They’d have to get Hopkins to rework his contract, but Baltimore should pursue every available option to buoy its receiving depth chart.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have also been highlighted as a potential Hopkins suitor. Of course, Buffalo already has an alpha in its receiver room in the form of Stefon Diggs. But Gabe Davis was inconsistent in his first year as a starter, and while Khalil Shakir and Deonte Harty offer promise, they’re also relatively unproven options.
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After going outside their comfort zone to sign pass rusher Von Miller in 2022, could the Bills do so again to land Hopkins in 2023?
Buffalo is all-in, so adding Hopkins as an overqualified No. 2 receiver could make sense. Hopkins would have to agree to a pay cut or a restructured contract, but he might be willing to do so in order to join a Super Bowl contender like the Bills.
Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s wrap up with the Chiefs, who also don’t currently have the cap space to add Hopkins. But if he wants to win a Super Bowl, there probably isn’t a better path than linking up with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
By trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins in 2022, Kansas City proved it wasn’t afraid to rely on Mahomes to elevate its receivers and devote money that could have gone to pass catchers on other areas of its roster. The Chiefs will see Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Justin Watson return next season, but they’ll lose some snaps via Mecole Hardman’s departure.
Trading assets for Hopkins isn’t palatable for the Chiefs, but if he becomes a free agent, KC should be interested. As a physical ball-winner, Hopkins would give the Chiefs a receiving element they don’t currently have on their roster.