The Arizona Cardinals believe so much in their star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins that they’ve given him a contract extension before seeing him play a single game in the Cardinals’ uniform.
The team announced that it has signed a two-year contract extension with Hopkins worth $54.5 million. Since Hopkins is already under contract through 2022, the new deal adds $27.25 million per year for 2023 and 2024. The contract also includes a $42.75 million guarantee at signing.
The reason Hopkins wanted to leave the Houston Texans in the offseason was that he believed that he wasn’t being paid like one of the top three best receivers in the league, which he inarguably has been. Before the new deal, Hopkins was making $16.5 million a year, which ranked him as the ninth-highest paid NFL receiver.
Hopkins and Atlanta Falcons star pass-catcher Julio Jones (the highest-paid WR in the league) are the only two receivers who have been named first-team All-Pros in each of the last three seasons.
When the Texans gave a big deal to their left tackle Laremy Tunsil and were working on a huge contract with their franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson (which he just recently signed), they believed that it wasn’t wise at the time to invest more money in Hopkins.
Instead, they sent him to the Cardinals, along with a fourth-round pick, in exchange for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
