After desires of the Bears discovering a solution to land star vast receivers Tee Higgins and Keenan Allen have been dashed by their respective GMs on the NFL Combine, rumors of one other marquee cross catcher presumably turning into obtainable for commerce emerged. Buzz began rising that DeAndre Hopkins may very well be on the buying and selling block, and the Cardinals didn’t precisely quiet that noise.
Both new GM Monti Ossenfort and new head coach Jonathan Gannon addressed the media on Tuesday and each males praised Hopkins’ playmaking potential, however neither man shot down commerce rumors. In reality, Gannon was frank when requested if he believed Hopkins can be on the Cardinals roster for the 2023 season.
“I’m undecided,” Gannon mentioned. “We are evaluating everybody. I do know this: he is a premier receiver it’s a must to have a plan for.”
“I’ve had a conversation with DeAndre and DeAndre’s representative,” mentioned Ossenfort. “Those have been very productive conversations. I’ve watched from afar the final 10 years or no matter it’s been with DeAndre and have been on groups which have needed to compete in opposition to him. I’ve seen the participant that DeAndre is and what he can do on the sector. He’s powerful to defend. So I’m glad he’s on the group.
“And I think with him, or as it goes to any player, those are situations that we’ll address as they come up. But I’m glad DeAndre is on the team right now, and I’m happy to be on the same team with him.”
The Cardinals should determine how they need to transfer ahead with a younger, underachieving roster. The group had excessive hopes for his or her 2022 season after buying and selling for Marquise Brown to pair with Hopkins at receiver. But Kyler Murray was damage for a superb portion of the season, and didn’t play notably effectively when he was wholesome. The Cardinals completed the yr with a 4-13 document.
Hopkins remains to be beneath contract for 2 extra seasons, and is ready to hold a $30.75 million cap hit in 2023 and a $26.2 million hit in 2024. Some imagine commerce rumors for Hopkins are a final ditch effort for the Cardinals to recoup some worth for the vast receiver, they usually could minimize him to save lots of money.
Hopkins missed the primary six video games of final season to serve a PED suspension, and the final two video games with a knee damage, however when he performed he was as impactful as ever. He completed the 2022 season with 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in 9 video games. Hopkins will flip 31 this summer season and has 10 years of NFL expertise. Over his profession, Hopkins has 853 receptions for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns.
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