The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly going to look for a trade partner in the offseason to unload star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Nuk is still a very much capable downfield weapon, who can provide a game-changing presence for any team he'd play for the 2023 NFL season, so he should generate a ton of interest from other franchises.
The Cardinals were a huge letdown in 2022, but they could have had a much better finish if DeAndre Hopkins was available from the get-go. It could be remembered that he was suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season for violating the NFL's Performance Enhancing Drug (PED), and during the time he was gone, the Cardinals went just 2-4. By the time he was back, the Cardinals looked too broken to turn things around. Hopkins finished the 2022 NFL regular season with 717 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 64 receptions. Apart from suspension, the absence of Murray under center due to injury can be attributed to his underwhelming production on the field.
Arizona's struggles could continue into 2023, with the team having just parted ways with head coach Kliff Kingsbury plus the fact that quarterback Kyler Murray is recuperating from a season-ending injury. All of a sudden, the Cardinals don't look like an ideal situation for DeAndre Hopkins.
And it's not like Hopkins has plenty of prime years left. He will be 31 by the time the NFL rolls out the red carpet for Week 1 of the 2023 season. Hopkins is still a dangerous weapon who remains capable of being a top option for any team's passing attack — or at least be a key figure who can significantly raise the ceiling of his team's offense. With all that said, here are three potential landing spots for DeAndre Hopkins outside of Arizona.
3. Chicago Bears
Whether the Bears use their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on an offensive piece, they still need more talent if they are to turn things around on that side of the field. Their offense was a wasteland in 2022, with quarterback Justin Fields often left to do everything. Chicago's passing attack barely existed, as the Bears tried as much as they can to use the wheels of Fields to pick up yards.
The Bears were No. 1 in the NFL in 2022 with a 56.19 percent rush play rate. Unsurprisingly, they also were last in the league with just 130.5 passing yards per game. The lack of a reliable offensive weapon for Chicago helped prevent Fields from making big leaps in his improvement as a passer.
Give him someone like DeAndre Hopkins and he'd be way more confident with his arm, while helping stretch the field for Chicago's offense that became too predictable. In 2022, Fields had to work with a downfield armory featuring tight end Cole Kmet, who obviously isn't Travis Kelce despite leading the Bears with only 544 receiving yards to go with seven touchdowns.
2. Dallas Cowboys
On paper, it doesn't look like the Cowboys are a team who'd be in dire need to get DeAndre Hopkins. But when there's an opportunity for Dallas to upgrade, expect the team to at least kick the tires on that potential.
The Cowboys already tried that with Odell Beckham Jr., who has long been linked to Dallas. While that no longer sounds like it's going to happen, the Cowboys can look in a different direction. An owner like Jerry Jones must have already at least started imagining Hopkins in a Cowboys uniform after hearing the report that the Cardinals will look to trade the veteran wide receiver in the offseason.
1. Green Bay Packers
The future of Aaron Rodgers in the NFL is currently up in the air. But whether he opts to retire from the game or stay for at least another year with the Packers, Green Bay could certainly use an upgrade on their receiving room. At the moment, the Packers have a pair of young studs in wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Wood, but they could lose both Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb in the offseason.
That's a potentially huge void the Packers need to cover, especially since Lazard led the team in 2022 in targets (100) and receiving yards (788). Landing a talent like Hopkins could entice Rodgers from giving it another shot with Green Bay.
In the event that Rodgers decides to ride into the sunset and hang up his cleats for good, the Packers should be even more pressured to add a huge weapon for their passing attack to make life easier for Jordan Love — or for anyone else who'd inherit Rodgers' gig.
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