DeAndre Hopkins adds kerosene to Ravens trade rumors

DeAndre Hopkins threw firewood on his trade rumors after listing the quarterbacks he’d like to work with in the future, one of which was Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.

When the Arizona Cardinals started their OTAs today, one player was noticeably missing: DeAndre Hopkins.

OTAs are considered voluntary, and just because a player opts out doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unhappy with their current situation. But that player may not be happy, either.

Hopkins was spending the weekend in Toronto instead of working out with the Cards, using his free time to make an appearance on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast and stir the pot of his trade rumors some more.

Hopkins was rumored to be traded after the 2022 season. He wasn’t. He was rumored to be traded before the 2023 NFL Draft. He wasn’t. Following draft weekend, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said he didn’t “foresee” a Hopkins trade happening despite the team’s obvious distate for his hefty salary (Hopkins is due base salaries of $19.45 million and $14.92 million over the next two seasons).

After the drawn-out and seemingly closed saga between Hopkins and the Cardinals franchise, the veteran wideout played with many peoples’ feelings on Monday when he theorized which quarterbacks he’d want to play with in the future.

And no, Kyler Murray wasn’t one of them.

DeAndre Hopkins is just begging to leave Cardinals, eyes Ravens and Lamar Jackson

To no one’s surprise, Hopkins lists Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert as the quarterbacks he wants to catch passes from. All young franchise signal-callers entering their prime — who wouldn’t want to work with those guys.

Of the players on the list, the Bills’ Josh Allen and the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson seem like the most probable landing spots (don’t forget that the Arizona GM just shut down all those trade rumors, so take “probable” with a grain of salt). Both the Bills and Ravens have appeared hungriest for wideout reinforcements this offseason.

A month ago, Jackson reportedly told his franchise to get Odell Beckham Jr. and Hopkins during his own contract standoff. The Ravens got one and told him they couldn’t afford both. Could Baltimore change its mind?

Any potential trade with the Cardinals would likely involve some sort of draft capital (a second-round pick), and the other team would have to be willing to take on Hopkins’ hefty salary.

The “will they or won’t they” dance has resumed, and the DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors have officially resurfaced. They weren’t buried very deep to begin with.