The Arizona Cardinals have not been able to trade DeAndre Hopkins, but the star wide receiver says any talk of his salary demands being a factor in that is false.
Hopkins has two years remaining on his current deal with the Cardinals. He has a salary cap hit of $30.75 million cap hit for 2023 and $26.2 million cap hit in 2024. He is due a base salary of $19 million next season and $14 million the year after. Some people believe Hopkins wants a trade because he views it as a path to signing a lucrative extension.
Hopkins seemed to address that theory with a tweet on Sunday. He tweeted a quote that says “Hopkins doesn’t want a raise.” He cited himself as the source.
"Hopkins doesn’t want a raise" – Nuk
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) April 16, 2023
Teams probably would only agree to a Hopkins trade if the 31-year-old is willing to restructure his contract. That does not mean he would have to take a pay cut, however. There are other ways to lower the cap numbers over the next two seasons, one of which would be an extension. An extension could be beneficial for both Hopkins and whichever team acquired him.
The real problem appears to be Arizona’s asking price. Hopkins is still one of the best receivers in the NFL when healthy, but he will turn 31 this offseason. He also has made it no secret that he would like a fresh start, which has taken leverage away from the Cardinals.
Hopkins recently dropped some hints about where he would like to play. The market for him could get a bit hotter after the draft.
