That was a pretty shocking move…even though it was somewhat expected. The Arizona Cardinals have officially released megastar WR DeAndre Hopkins after numerous trade talks with other teams broke down, ensuring this team is going to go into a nasty rebuild.
Well, the Cardinals time in the NFL success sun is definitely over.
The Arizona Cardinals have cut ties with one of the last productive players they had on offense as they released 5X All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins yesterday after trade talks with some of the Super Bowl contending teams went nowhere, leaving the Cardinals without a #1 WR for the upcoming season. And, to be honest, I think this was a really dumb move to make at this time of the year.
I don’t think I need to give much of an introduction for a receiver like Hopkins, but I will anyway as he’s currently one of the few wideouts in the NFL that can boast of having six 1,000-yard seasons, four 100-reception seasons, 11,298 total receiving yards, (36th most in NFL history), 71 TDs (tied-46th most in NFL history), 853 receptions (28th most in NFL history), has 5 Pro Bowl selections, 5 All-Pro selections, and has 3 1st Team All-Pro selections before turning 31.
Pretty good, right?
Now, Hopkins is coming off two down seasons (2021: 10 GMs played, 572 receiving yards; 2022: 9 GMs played, 717 receiving yards) due to suspension and injury, respectively, but he’s still one of the Top-5 premier wideouts in the NFL.
And to not even get a measly 7th round pick for a future Hall of Fame player still in his prime (31 may be getting on a bit, but he still should have another 4-5 good years) is such a massive blunder for a Cardinals team that can’t help not to get in its own way of late.
A good 6-10 teams, such as the Patriots, Jets, Bills, Chiefs, Giants, Cowboys, and Ravens, were openly, loudly, and quite eagerly (aka: Ravens) looking for #1 WRs all throughout the free agency and draft periods, and I’m sure at least three of those teams would have given up a high draft pick or two for a player of Hopkins quality.
I mean, the Ravens (Zay Flowers), Chargers (Quentin Johnston), Seahawks (Jaxon Smith-Njigba), and Vikings (Jordan Addison) all used their 1st round picks in this past draft on wide receivers, so just those teams would have at least given up said picks for a dependable, reliable, and NFL proven receiver like Hopkins.
But, in classic Cardinals’ fashion, they bungled around picking a new GM and head coach, allowed the rot of this team to fester beyond the point of no return, put all of their eggs in the Kyler Murray basket (Hopkins did say a few days before his release that he wanted to play with a QB that “loves the game and brings everyone on board with him”…which is Murray), and ruined three years of Hopkins prime due to poor coaching, managerial upheaval, and just bad decision making from owner Michael Bidwill.
How incompetent must you be to allow a really good roster turn to utter garbage practically overnight?
This whole situation is just an unmitigated disaster as the Cardinals, who had a good team with the likes of Hopkins, Zach Ertz (questionable to return), J.J. Watt (now retired), Kelvin Beachum, James Conner (injury prone), Hollywood Brown (questionable to return), Zaven Collins, and Budda Baker (demanded a trade earlier this offseason), will be transitioning from an 11-win, potential division-title winning team to one that can barely get 5 wins.
Despite being the oldest NFL team around (est. 1898), the Cardinals just never seem to be able to walk their first steps without falling flat on their face.
As for Hopkins, the sky is really the limit for him as he could join anyone of the contending NFL teams, such as the Bills, Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Jets, etc., and become the go-to guy on the offensive side of the ball. He’s just that talented.
Images Source: Featured Image:
