DeAndre Hopkins trade loses another possible suitor

Where will Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins land this offseason? Not this AFC East team, according to a new report.

It seems as though Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ list of suitors has grown smaller with each passing week, with the latest team bowing out being one of the more serious playoff contenders in 2023.

Hopkins, who turns 31 this year, has his own flaws: he suffered injuries these past few years and also had to serve a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

The slightly more pressing point of concern for interested suitors is his contract. For the Cardinals, Hopkins is a simple enough salary dump. For teams who may not be willing to take that big of a cap hit for an injury-prone player, they may want Arizona to eat some of his salary and start negotiating a deal from there.

Once briefly rumored to join the Buffalo Bills, that door for Hopkins appears to be firmly closed.

Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins isn’t wanted by the Buffalo Bills

Trading for Hopkins would likely only necessitate a second-round pick and a player or something else of value (though there has been some discordance in the NFL rumors world on what the trade ask is), yet the Bills don’t seem to be interested in boosting their current pass-catching corps.

So, who’s left?

The Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots have been linked to Hopkins the most, albeit the former hasn’t revealed any urgent plans to improve the wide receiver room and the latter is turned off by Hopkins’ large salary.

At this point in the offseason, this is as high as Hopkins’ trade value is going to get. The Dallas Cowboys already went out and got Brandin Cooks to add their last piece to their receiver trifecta; a few other aggressive teams remain on the market for a wideout, but with the draft closing in, those franchises may want to see what gems they can select in April before turning to a mostly unimpressive and muted free agent wideout market.

Still, Hopkins’ innate talents and 2022 performance should make him a worthy starter on most offenses. Barring Brandon Beane’s sudden change of faith, it just won’t be the Bills.