Getty Image / Christian Petersen
As the Arizona Cardinals begin rebuilding with a new general manager and coaching staff, they’ve spent the offseason trying to trade star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
So far, they haven’t had much luck.
There haven’t even been reports of an actual offer from any team in the league.
Now it looks like there is another team that won’t be making one this offseason.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed on The Pat McAfee Show that the New York Jets likely won’t be the team Hopkins ends up with.
"If we do see a DeAndre Hopkins trade I think it'll be right around the draft" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/nMJwaFU0y0
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 13, 2023
The DeAndre Hopkins market is quickly shrinking for the Arizona Cardinals. The Baltimore Ravens had already removed themselves as an option when they signed Odell Beckham Jr. After that, there were some who expected the New York Jets to be the team to make a move for Hopkins.
Getting a deal done for Hopkins was always going to be tough while they’re trying to also trade for Aaron Rodgers.
With the Jets out of the mix, the Cardinals don’t seem to have too many options left.
The New York Giants could still be looking to add a top tier receiver, especially if they don’t take one in the first round of the draft. The Chiefs could be in the mix because they lost Juju Smith-Schuster this offseason.
Maybe the Patriots could be an option, but Hopkins has history with Bill O’Brien that could prevent that. Beyond them, the teams that need a receiver badly enough to take on Hopkins’ contract at this stage of his career are harder to find.
The dwindling options for the Arizona Cardinals could lead to them needing to lower their asking price after they had been reported to want a 2nd rounder for Hopkins.
Maybe at this point they’ll consider keeping him and see what Kyler Murray with him and Hollywood Brown together once he recovers from his ACL tear.