The Arizona Cardinals have already undergone several drastic changes following a miserable 4-13 season, and more are certainly on the way.
General manager Steve Keim resigned for health reasons, and Monti Ossenfort was named his replacement. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired after four seasons, with a replacement yet to be named.
It’s also expected that the Cardinals will trade away All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who has two years remaining on his deal. Hopkins has been one of the game’s best wide receivers for nearly a decade now, but the Redbirds seem ready to to move on as he nears his 31st birthday.
At NFL Analysis Network, Kenneth Teape proposed an interesting trade scenario that would see the Cardinals dealing Hopkins to the WR-needy New England Patriots:
“Last offseason, the Patriots surrendered a third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins as part of the deal for DeVante Parker. It will cost more than that for DeAndre Hopkins, as the Patriots could offer a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
New England will withhold a first-round pick because they know that they will have to sign DeAndre Hopkins to a new contract. He has two years and $34.36 million remaining on his current contract but is seeking a new deal.
When taking that into consideration, a second and third-round pick sounds like a fair price to pay. But, given the market that DeAndre Hopkins will likely have, the Patriots may have to ultimately include a first-round pick to land him.”
Since Julian Edelman’s retirement in 2021, the Patriots have lacked consistent play-making pass-catchers with the exception of Jakobi Meyers. The latter is slated to enter free agency next month, and if New England can’t keep him, that will only fuel the incentive to make a splash for someone like Hopkins.
The Patriots have already made one notable change on the offensive side of the ball, hiring old friend Bill O’Brien to serve as the offensive coordinator. O’Brien coached Hopkins in Houston from 2014 to 2019, so there’s plenty of familiarity there.
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Hopkins has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards six times in his career. He finished with 717 in nine games this past season, so he would’ve likely surpassed the mark again had he played just a few more games.
The Patriots could use an all-world talent like Hopkins to help bolster their offense.
