DeAndre Hopkins Lands With Super Bowl Contender in Mock Trade
Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins wasn't at the start of OTA's this week, but head coach Jonathan Gannon said he wasn't too worried.
"I'm not worried about Hop. He's played a long time and he's extremely intelligent and I think he'll fit right in when he decides to come. But again, it's voluntary so that's his decision and we're behind it," Gannon said earlier this week.
It's been quite the saga with no resolution in sight. The Cardinals reportedly knew from the beginning of the offseason that Hopkins would be shopped, and despite a plethora of teams that came and went through the rumor mill, Hopkins is still in Arizona.
In an article going through mock trades that should still happen in the NFL, Bleacher Report connected Hopkins to the Buffalo Bills, one of the favorites to land Hopkins thanks to their talent and cap flexibility to potentially make it happen.
DeAndre Hopkins Lands With Super Bowl Contender in Mock Trade
"The caveat here is cap space. The Bills have just $1.6 million available and would have to clear a ton of room for Hopkins' $19.4 million base salary—and/or restructure his contract to lower his cap hit significantly. That could be tricky, as Buffalo already restructured the contracts of linebacker Von Miller, Diggs and Allen this offseason," said Kristopher Knox.
"If the Bills could make it work financially, though, they could probably get Hopkins for a third-round pick, which is about the best Arizona could hope for at this point in the offseason."
When Hopkins appeared on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, he listed off three things he was looking for in a new team.
"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. A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board with him, not just himself but everybody around him," said Hopkins. "And a great defense. A great defense wins championships."
You could make a strong argument Buffalo offers all three better than most around the league.
A trade Post June 1 makes the most sense for Arizona in terms of cap savings, so perhaps the Cardinals would be more willing to negotiate then.
Click This Link to Subscribe to All Cardinals on YouTube
Click This Link to Follow All Cardinals on Facebook
Arizona Cardinals Top Stories
Colt McCoy at Bottom of NFL QB Rankings
Seven Landing Spots for DeAndre Hopkins Ranked
Cardinals Named Trade Candidate for Josh Jacobs
Rookie Profile: Garrett Williams
