The Cardinals faced difficulty in finding a trade partner and ultimately made the decision to release star wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. This move will result in a dead cap hit of over 22 million but it frees up cap space as Hopkins is no longer under contract. While Hopkins never publicly expressed his desire to leave, he did publicly mention quarterbacks he would like to play with on the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast.
Despite DeAndre Hopkins having a list of preferred teams, his next landing spot remains uncertain due to financial constraints and contract restructuring issues. ESPN analyst Adam Schefter breaks down the stages for Hopkins, shedding light on the challenges he may face in finding a new team.
Cardinals release Hopkins, Schefter analyzes the reasons
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During the podcast ‘I Am Athlete,’ Hopkins emphasized the importance of stable management, stating- “What I want is stable management, upstairs. I think that’s something that I haven’t really had the past couple of years in my career coming from Houston to being in Arizona.”
Hopkins believed that a great defense is key to winning championships and mentioned quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert as his preferred choices due to their elite performances last season. Hopkins furthermore, “A QB who loves the game, QB who brings everybody on board with him, which is not just himself but uh you know people around them. And a great defense I think defense win championships, for me I think that’s the key you got to have a great defense you got to have a great D-line.”
The release of DeAndre Hopkins by the Cardinals and the subsequent analysis by Adam Schefter showcased the challenges & the reason behind DeAndre Hopkins’ release.
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Adam Schefter analyzes Hopkins’ preferred teams and challenges ahead
Adam Schefter on ESPN, explained that the Cardinals had been actively seeking a trade for Hopkins but were unable to find a team willing to take on his contract. Additionally, Hopkins was unwilling to restructure his contract to facilitate a trade. Facing the risk of injury and the financial burden of guaranteed money, the Cardinals decided to release him, leading to an unexpected turn of events in the NFL news cycle. “The fact of the matter is there wasn’t a team out there willing to take on the 19.45-million-dollar contract and DeAndre Hopkins was unwilling to restructure the contract to a number that was comfortable for another team to be able to trade him and the Cardinals were looking to move on.”
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Schefter further analyzed Hopkins’ preferred teams and quarterbacks. He noted that the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs were listed by Hopkins. However, each team had its own constraints, whether it was limited financial resources or already having talented wide receivers on their rosters. While a potential deal could be reached if Hopkins adjusted his salary expectations or included performance-based incentives, none of the mentioned destinations seemed ideal based on the financial aspects. It is difficult to determine Hopkins’ next landing spot, but one thing is certain: he is a game-changer who can still make a huge difference for any team with his elite performance.
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