After weeks of speculation, the Arizona Cardinals released star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Dallas Cowboys Players. The Cardinals are currently in full rebuild mode, and letting go of Hopkins will save the team almost $9 million in cap space.
The Cowboys have been looking for any receiving help they can get, and It's worth pointing out that Dallas seeks to replace tight end Dalton Schultz, who left for a free-agent deal with the Texans. Schultz served as Prescott's security blanket and one of his best-receiving targets in recent years. He averaged 66 receptions over the past three seasons.
However, there's little doubt that Jerry Jones, the team owner, will at least examine the idea of adding Hopkins, one possible holdup is money. As NFL insider Mike Giardi points out, Hopkins seeks to get paid on his next deal.
He Tweeted: "Hopkins wants money, and the OBJ deal didn't change his mind about how much should be streaming to him when all is said and done."
As I tweeted yesterday. Hopkins wants money, and the OBJ deal didn't change his mind about how much should be coming to him when all is said and done. https://t.co/gmzUv4xBjO
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) May 27, 2023
As Illustrated by Albert Breer, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills were the only teams to have "considerable" trade talks revolving around Hopkins. But, both teams backed out due to Hopkins' contract. He was due to earn $19.45 million for the 2023 season.
Unless Hopkins drops his asking price to at least a considerable amount, the Chiefs and Bills are unlikely to sign the star receiver.
However, the Dallas Cowboys made an impressive smart move to Land DeAndre Hopkins by agreeing to proceed with the contract. Whenever a big name, deal, and skill position player is available, the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones are never slow to throw their hat into the ring. Also, if Hopkins ends up signing with the highest bidder, Dallas will likely lose out to a more desperate team, and they're not ready to give that a chance.
Dallas already has CeeDee Lamb on the log, fetched Brandin Cooks in the off-season, and should also have Michael Gallup returning healthy, so adding Hopkins would give them among the best-receiving corps in the league. The only unanswered question remains whether Hopkins thinks the Cowboys are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, as he has stated at this point in his career he is chasing a Championship.
But Hopkins has been clear about what he wants in his next team, and here is what he said about it.
He said, "What I need is stable management at the top, that's something I have not had the past couple years of my career coming from Houston then to Arizona," Hopkins said. "A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board together with him, not just himself but everybody around him, and a great defense which wins championships."
Hopkins has been the unquestioned No. 1 receiver for years on the Houston Texans and Cardinals. Playing with the Cowboys, he could prolong his career and manage to stay on the field more often. Hopkins has only played 19 games over the past two seasons, limited to just ten games during the 2021 season due to the torn MCL injury.
When the DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors about the Cardinals Sending WR DeAndre Hopkins to Super Bowl Contender broke out, fans were concerned about his performance due to his unstable career. However, at 30 years old, Hopkins is still very vibrant, has plenty of gas left in the tank, and appears stable enough to contribute to a winning team.