Hiring a new head coach might not be the only significant change the Cardinals make this NFL offseason.
Arizona reportedly intends to shop all-world wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the coming months. Hopkins, who the Cardinals acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans in March 2020, has two years and $34.6 million remaining on his current deal and might be in search of a new contract before the start of his age-31 season. And from Arizona's perspective, rostering a player with a $30 million cap hit for the 2023 season probably doesn't make sense for a team that very well could be bound for a rebuild.
The Hopkins rumor mill picked up more speed Wednesday morning when the five-time Pro Bowl selection shared an Instagram post that was cryptically captioned "Forever grateful..." Hopkins simply could be expressing sincere gratitude after wrapping up his 10th NFL season, but he's been around the league long enough to know how that kind of post could be perceived by the general public.
If Hopkins' days in the desert are, indeed, numbered, the star wideout figures to have a robust trade market. An interested team potentially could be the Patriots, who've lacked elite wide receiver talent for years now. Not only does head coach Bill Belichick have a great deal of admiration for Hopkins, but adding one of the best receivers in the game could help New England's head coach get back in the good graces of players who are upset about how the 2022 season was managed.
