The Arizona Cardinals have released veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins according to an official team announcement issued on Friday.
The Cardinals had been expected to part ways with Hopkins since the end of the 2022 season due to his $30.75 million cap hit, which was a team high and also ranked top among NFL wide receivers and was the 7th highest cap hit in the entire league.
The Cardinals had been linked to trade talks involving Hopkins, but after they were unable to work out any deal involving the former Pro Bowler, they released him.
The Cardinals will absorb a dead salary cap hit of $21 million in 2023, but he will be cleared from the books after that and the team could also declare Hopkins as a post June 1st cut which would allow them to spread the cap hit evenly over this, and next season, should the choose to.
Hopkins had never expressed any desire to leave Arizona, but also did not make any statements stating that he wanted to remain with the organization.
"What I want is stable management upstairs, that's something I haven't really had the past couple years of my career coming from Houston and then to Arizona," Hopkins said earlier this week, according to the official website of the Cardinals.
"A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board with him, not just himself but everybody around him ... and a great defense. A great defense wins championships."
The Cardinals initially acquired Hopkins via a trade with the Houston Texans back in 2022, along with a 4th round draft pick, for a second-round draft pick, running back David Johnson and a future fourth-round pick.
Now, every sports social media platform will be buzzing about where he could end up next.
Teams to watch include the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys, among others.
Comments / 0