Why are the Cardinals looking to trade DeAndre Hopkins? 3 possible reasons behind team's decision
DeAndre Hopkins appears to be on his way out of Arizona Cardinals. In a bombshell news dropped today, the 30-year-old is reportedly up for trade with the Cardinals willing to listen to offers for the three-time All-Pro.
However, with Kliff Kingsbury being shown the door and Kyler Murray recovering from the dreaded ACL injury, the news of Hopkins has left many wondering exactly why the Cardinals are willing to part ways.
What are the current Super Bowl odds?
DeAndre Hopkins is clearly the best offensive weapon Arizona has and yet, they are willing to trade him. But why?
We have a look at three reasons why Arizona wants to part company with the five-time Pro Bowler.
#1 Cardinals in rebuild mode
Now, this might sound a little far-fetched, but what other explanation could it be? Without a head coach and their franchise quarterback, the Cardinals will be without its best player for at least half of next season.
So, does Arizona put Hopkins up for trade to snare a handful of draft picks to try and rebuild through the draft? With its 3-13-1 record, Arizona currently has the No. 3 pick in the draft.
Report: The #Cardinals will attempt to trade All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins in the off-season, per @Schultz_Report https://t.co/5bQab8ssE5
It is likely to fetch at least one first-rounder for DeAndre Hopkins. That would give the Cardinals some serious firepower to add to their roster with next year being a 'throw away' year, if you will.
#2 - Hopkins' big contract?
Being 30 years old and having not played a full season in two years, could the Cardinals be wanting out of the receiver's huge contract? Possibly, but per spotrac.com, the receiver has a dead cap hit of $22.6 million. Yikes.
Currently slated to earn $19.4 million in 2023, and given the dead cap hit, the Cardinals could be willing to 'eat' that chunk if it means getting DeAndre Hopkins off the books.
While it seems unlikely that Arizona is happy at the dead cap hit, but with Kliff Kingsbury, it has done the same thing.
#3 - Hopkins' injury/off-field history
As we stated above, the receiver hasn't played a full season in two years. Paying someone $19 million a year, you want them playing every game.
This could be Arizona's thinking when it came to deciding if it should trade the 30-year-old.
Not to mention the six-game ban for PED use as well (he's still fighting to clear his name). 19 games in two years and with Kyler Murray out for at least half the season, DeAndre Hopkins may be seen as too much of a liability. That is despite his glaring talent.
Multiple hamstring and knee issues over the last two years could be the big reason why Arizona wants to move on from its star receiver.