Why Cardinals Should Have High Asking Price for DeAndre Hopkins amid NFL Trade Rumors

Trade rumors have been swirling around Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason. Will he be back with the team for a fourth season, or will he be on the move for the second time in his NFL career?

It's too early to know for sure, but one thing is clear: If the Cardinals are going to part with the 30-year-old, they're not going to do it for cheap.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Arizona is seeking "hefty compensation," such as a premium Day 2 draft pick and more, in exchange for Hopkins. Not every team seems to be jumping to make such a deal, though.

"His age (30) and last year's suspension are issues for some teams," Fowler wrote.

Hopkins is a 10-year veteran who missed the first six games of the 2022 season due to a violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. When he got back into action, he wasn't quite as productive as he had been in the past, recording 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games.

However, the Cardinals' offense also struggled to get into a rhythm for much of last year. It wasn't solely Hopkins' fault for his low TD total, which ranked as the second lowest of his career behind only the two he scored as a rookie with the Houston Texans in 2013.

Hopkins has a long track record, and he's shown he's capable of playing well even on teams that have underperformed. If a contender traded for him, he's likely capable of taking its offense to another level. And he seems eager for a bounce-back 2023 season.

"A new team would be getting a premier receiver who, I'm told, is highly motivated to reaffirm his spot among the best," Fowler wrote.

As Fowler also noted, Hopkins' contract is "fairly manageable," with the Clemson product set to earn $34.4 million over two years. There's also the possibility for that to be restructured so his $30.75 million cap hit for the upcoming season could become smaller.

So there are a lot of pros for a team potentially trading for Hopkins. They'll likely need to meet that steep Arizona asking price to make it happen, though.

The Cardinals are right in setting the cost that high, though. The five-time Pro Bowler should have plenty of productive years still ahead of him, and he has the capability of being a true star No. 1 wide receiver.

There's a good chance Hopkins will be play better in the short term than most players who are taken in the second or third round of the 2023 NFL draft. So for a team in win-now mode, it'd make a lot of sense to part with a pick in order to boost their offense with such an elite pass-catcher.

If a team isn't willing to meet that price, then Arizona could always hold onto him. The team is in a good position in which it can shop Hopkins and try to land a large return; and if it's unsuccessful, it can then count on him to be its No. 1 wide receiver in 2023.

With Hopkins ready to prove he can put together a big full season, it should work out well for either the Cardinals or any team willing to swing a deal.