Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals looks on during the game against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, December 12, 2022. /CFP
The Arizona Cardinals have released their wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, the team announced on Friday.
Hopkins' $30.75 million salary cap hit in 2023 is not only the highest on the team, but also among the top in his position in the NFL. Moreover, he only played 19 games for the Cardinals in the past two seasons because of injury.
The team will save $8.15 million in cap space at the cost of $22.6 million of dead space for the 2023 season. There have been a lot of trade speculations about him since the end of the 2022 season, but the Cardinals' general manager Monti Ossenfort said during the NFL Draft in late April that Hopkins is "a Cardinal," and they are "moving forward."
Hopkins didn't attend the team's voluntary organized team activities in May. Instead, he was working out in Toronto, as he revealed on the "I Am Athlete" podcast with Brandon Marshall.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (L) of the Arizona Cardinals tries to catch the ball in the game against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, December 12, 2022. /CFP
The Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots are all understandably interested in Hopkins since, when he could play, he was still one of the best wide receivers in the league. Having played 10 seasons in the NFL, he had six 1,000+ receiving yards seasons, including his first campaign in the Cardinals in 2020.
As a five-time Pro-Bowler and a five-time All-Pro selection, Hopkins can still be of great help to teams that want to make difference. For example, imagine how unstoppable the Bills will if quarterback (QB) Josh Allen has both Stefon Diggs and Hopkins to target on the field.
The Cardinals still have Marquise Brown, Greg Dortch and Rondale Moore in the receiver position to pair with QB Kyler Murray after releasing Hopkins. The team has appeared only once in the postseason since 2016 and they lost in the National Football Conference Wild Card Game during the 2021 campaign.