The Arizona Cardinals reportedly wanted to acquire a second-round pick and more in a trade for wideout DeAndre Hopkins. But with Hopkins still available on the trade market, and the fact other trades are happening around the league, it's becoming less and less likely Arizona lands what it once desired.
NFL insider Albert Breer acknowledged just that in his mailbag column for Sports Illustrated on Wednesday night.
"I don't think it'll be what they wanted initially," Breer wrote in response to what he thinks Arizona will get in return. "The ask had been a second-round pick and another asset. Based on indications I've gotten, that sort of return simply isn't coming."
The other asset reportedly was another conditional pick or player.
Breer specifically noted how the Dallas Cowboys landed Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans for a modest package including a 2023 fifth-rounder and 2024 sixth-rounder. Breer expects Hopkins to be traded for more than that, but it probably will be closer to the Dallas-Houston trade than Arizona's initial ask.
Hopkins has been included in constant trade speculation since the beginning of the offseason. The Cowboys reportedly were among teams interested in a trade for Hopkins before acquiring Cooks. The New England Patriots also have been a team routinely connected to Hopkins.
Breer, however, offered a discouraging report from the Patriots perspective.
"I can't find anyone in that building who thinks DeAndre Hopkins will be a consideration for Bill Belichick, and at this point New England hasn't been in it," Breer wrote in the same story.
Hopkins caught the attention of many Wednesday as a cryptic post caused some to wonder if he might know a trade to the Buffalo Bills is pending. But the reality with Hopkins is until a trade is completed, he'll continue to make headlines.
