DeAndre Hopkins has been at the center of trade rumors throughout the offseason, but no deal has been struck to this point. To further help facilitate a deal, the Arizona Cardinals have granted the All-Pro receiver and his agents permission to speak with prospective teams and seek out a trade, according to SI.com.
Hopkins' trade market has been stagnant. The Cardinals were initially said to be looking for a second-round pick and another asset in exchange for the wideout, but no team has come around to meet that price. This latest report notes Hopkins' age -- he will be 31 at the start of next season -- along with his injury history as part of why teams have been apprehensive to trade for him.
Arizona's first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked about Hopkins on Sunday and said that he's "operating that he's a Cardinal right now." Of course, the "right now" phrasing is an important caveat to Gannon's comments, and he couldn't go much further in his explanation without eliminating whatever leverage the organization has left.
Some teams are said to be waiting to see the price come down on Hopkins in the aftermath of Brandin Cooks being traded to the Cowboys earlier this offseason. Cooks was sent to Dallas in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2024. The Texans are also playing $6 million of Cooks' contract for 2023. That return is a far cry from what the Cardinals were initially asking for a player in a similar situation. Hopkins is due $19.45 million in base salary next season, so it'll be interesting to see if teams will ask Arizona to pay some of that to make a trade more palatable similar to the Cooks trade.
The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs have been two AFC contenders linked to Hopkins in the last few weeks. The Bills are looking for another pass-catching weapon for Josh Allen to complement Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, while Kansas City did lose both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency, creating a need at the position. Meanwhile, the Patriots are reportedly no longer pursuing Hopkins. That said, it'll be interesting to see if New England -- or any team -- re-enters the fray if the price for Hopkins comes down.
