DeAndre Hopkins’ name has appeared in trade rumors for months, but at this stage, nothing has materialized for the five-time Pro Bowler. Hopkins potentially hitting the open market would be quite the opportunity for teams in need of wide receiver help.
He is a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection who can single-handedly alter the course of a game when he is healthy.
So, who wants him?
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said on the “Greg Bedard Podcast” that a team like the New England Patriots would only take him on under some conditions.
“I think for a team like the Patriots, it would either be no draft-pick compensation or way, way, way down from Arizona’s initial ask, and an adjustment to the contract,” Breer said, via NESN.com. “And that obviously gives Hopkins considerable control over the situation, because if you’re going to change the contract, then you have to go to him.
“So I think this is a really, really complicated one, and (the Patriots) haven’t shown great interest. They haven’t really been in it to this point. Like, if his market collapsed completely and he was cut or he was available for almost nothing and is willing to redo his contract, maybe we’re talking about something else.”
Hopkins landing there would be difficult since Bill O’Brien is the offensive coordinator and he was the one who traded him to Arizona when he was the head coach for the Houston Texans.
According to Breer, the Kansas City Chiefs could be back in the mix, but Hopkins would need to “take a significant pay cut.”
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While he remains a game-changing wide receiver, the team seems to be in rebuilding mode after a 4-13 season that saw head coach Kliff Kingsbury fired. Not to mention, Kyler Murray tore his ACL late in the season and he is expected to miss quite a few games for the upcoming season.
The Cardinals hired former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to replace him and may be looking to build the team in his image.
The Cardinals have less than a month to trade Hopkins before the 2023 NFL Draft.
