Trade rumors have pervaded the Cardinals and DeAndre Hopkins all offseason, but with nothing materializing, Arizona released the receiver Friday.
Hopkins, who had 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns last season and 221 catches for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in his Cardinals career, got off to a promising start after the blockbuster deal that paired him with Kyler Murray to begin with.
However, after hauling in 115 catches in 2020, injuries hindered him in 2021. His production with the team dropped, and with the Cardinals are clearly moving in a rebuilding direction, his two-year, $54.5 million contract extension that kicked in in 2023 was a clear albatross. Although the Cardinals shopped Hopkins, with rumors reaching their pitch around the draft, nothing came to fruition.
Hopkins, 30, shouldn't have much trouble finding a new team with the contract no longer being an issue. He'll also have his pick in free agency, rather than being beholden to where the Cardinals send him.
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Why did the Cardinals release DeAndre Hopkins?
The Cardinals are not a winning team in 2023, so if there was every a time to eat some dead money, it's this season.
Arizona wanted to get out from under Hopkins' two-year, $54.5 million contract, and despite eating $22.6 million in dead money this season (it is not a post June 1 designation, so the Cardinals take the full dead money hit), it frees up $8 million this year and $26 million in 2024.
That is significant for a team looking to free up cap space and undergo a full rebuild. The extension was signed at a time Hopkins was more productive, had less injuries in the rear-view mirror, and the Cardinals thought they were competing for the NFC West.
The Cardinals shopped Hopkins in trades, but his contract made him difficult to deal, per Jeff Howe.
The Cardinals attempted to trade WR DeAndre Hopkins, per sources. But the contract, injury history, recent suspension and age all factored into teams being reluctant to complete a deal. Now as a free agent, the contract won't be nearly as much of an obstacle.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) May 26, 2023
In that sense, the cut is mutually beneficial, as it gets Hopkins off the books and makes it easier for him to sign with a new team.
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DeAndre Hopkins contract
Ahead of what would be an incredibly productive 2020 season, his first with the Cardinals, Hopkins signed a two-year, $54.5 million extension through 2023 and 2024.
The deal was structured for $22.6 million in dead cap if he was cut in 2023, which the Cardinals took on by releasing him Friday.
His cap number was $30 million in 2023 and $25.4 million in 2024.
DeAndre Hopkins age
Hopkins just completed his age-30 season, and he will be 31 by the start of the 2023 season. His birthday is June 6, 1992.
DeAndre Hopkins injury history
One of the key reasons the Cardinals reportedly let Hopkins go is an injury suffered in 2021.
After never playing fewer than 15 games through 2020, in 2021 Hopkins had a hamstring injury and tore his MCL. Those injuries kept him out for eight games of the season.
He was also suspended in 2022 for six games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
