NFL rumors: DeAndre Hopkins trade could be unbelievably cheap

Reports indicate that the Arizona Cardinals plan to trade wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and the asking price is not that expensive.

The Arizona Cardinals made moves to make a return trip to the playoffs, but fell well below their expectations. Specifically, they finished 4-13 on the season, resulting in the team firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury and moving on from general manager Steve Keim. After the season, a report from theScore’s Jordan Schultz indicated that the Cardinals planned on trying to trade wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who has two years, $34.4 million remaining on his contract.

When this news dropped, the NFL world wondered what it would cost for an interested team to acquire Hopkins, who played just 19 games the past two years. Well, apparently there is a price, and it’s not that expensive.

According to Mike Jurecki of the “Arizona Football Daily” podcast, scouts at the NFL Combine told him that the Cardinals are looking for at least a second-round pick and a conditional pick in return for Hopkins.

Cardinals reported asking price for DeAndre Hopkins is not that expensive

New Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke highly of Hopkins when asked at the NFL Scouting Combine. Gannon specifically said of Hopkins’ status with the team “I’m not sure. We’re evaluating everyone.” You can listen to Ossenfort’s and Gannon’s comments below, courtesy of PHNX Sports.

Hopkins’ tenure at Arizona got off to an incredible start in 2020, as he caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns on 160 targets in 16 games played. But after that, availability became an issue for Hopkins.

In 2021, he missed six games due to a hamstring strain and a torn MCL. Hopkins was suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season due to violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy. He missed Arizona’s final two games due to a knee issue.

There are teams that are in need of bolstering their wide receiver depth chart. While Hopkins is a huge name, it will remain to be seen if this new Cardinals regime will actually consider trading him, or opt to keep him for the 2023 season.