Cardinals Release All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins with Houston Texans in 2018
DeAndre Hopkins with Houston Texans in 2018. Photo by Trask Smith/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9993505ak)

The Arizona Cardinals made a decision on Friday to move on from All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins. The move comes after the franchise tried and failed to trade the veteran wide receiver this offseason.

The Cardinals made the move official with an announcement posted on their social media.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cardinals will take on a $22.6 million dead-money cap hit in 2023 as a result of releasing Hopkins. They will also clear around $7.4 million in salary cap space and avoid paying the player’s $19.45 million salary for this upcoming season, as he didn’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal.

Reportedly, the Cardinals tried to move DeAndre Hopkins for the better part of the offseason but found out that there was no market for him considering his huge deal. The teams were willing to engage in negotiations only if Hopkins would rework his contract and take a smaller salary, something that the player was unwilling to do.

Hopkins leaves the Cardinals after three underwhelming seasons in which he dealt with consistency, injuries, and suspensions. He played 35 games with the franchise during that period, catching 221 passes for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Despite not being on a Pro Bowl level for the past couple of years, Hopkins is still considered one of the better wideouts in the league and is expected to attract lots of interest around the league. The teams rumored to be interested in signing him are the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the New England Patriots.

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