DeAndre Hopkins Trade Rumors: Cardinals Eye 'Christian McCaffrey Package' for Star WR

If the Arizona Cardinals are going to trade DeAndre Hopkins, their asking price for the veteran wide receiver will likely have to come down.

On SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said the Cardinals have been seeking a "Christian McCaffrey package" in trade talks with teams about Hopkins:

"[The Baltimore Ravens] have at least looked around at the luxury shopping, high-end wide receiver market, whether it's Hopkins or like Denver's Courtland Sutton. Uncertain whether they would pull the trigger on that sort of price point right now because it's very high. But Hopkins, the issue is the compensation. Talking to other teams, they say that Arizona has wanted a second-round pick and more, maybe even as high as like a Christian McCaffrey package. We're talking second-, third-, fourth-round picks. They will probably have to come off that to deal Hopkins, who has got $19 million in salary due to him. So, you still have teams like the Bills and the Chiefs and big-ticket teams that are at least looking, window shopping at potential options at receiver."

The San Francisco 49ers acquired McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers before the trade deadline last season for a package that included second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024.

The McCaffrey trade was a unique situation for a few reasons, not least of which is it's unusual to see any team pay such a steep price in draft capital for a running back who is signed to a lucrative contract.

But the 49ers were also negotiating against the Los Angeles Rams, arguably their biggest rival, to add the dynamic playmaker.

The MMQB's Albert Breer reported after the trade went down that Los Angeles offered second- and third-round picks in 2023, fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2024 plus Cam Akers to the Panthers for McCaffrey.

McCaffrey is also four years younger than Hopkins, still in his prime and brings a level of versatility that few running backs in the NFL can match.

Hopkins, while still a very good player, is probably not at his peak anymore as he prepares to turn 31 on June 6. His contract could also be a prohibitive factor for teams not wanting to give up significant draft capital.

The five-time Pro Bowler has a $19.45 million base salary and $30.75 million cap hit in 2023, per Spotrac. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week any trade involving Hopkins would likely come with a contract restructure.

The market for trading a wide receiver on a lucrative contract may have been set by the Houston Texans. They sent Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2023 fifth-round pick and 2024 sixth-round pick on Sunday.

Hopkins has been a better player over the course of his career than Cooks, but teams are trading for future production, not past performance. Hopkins has only appeared in 19 games over the past two seasons because of injuries and a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Despite missing significant time since the start of 2021, Hopkins has been a productive player during that span with 106 receptions, 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Cardinals are likely in a rebuilding phase under new general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. It's understandable why they would have a high price to trade Hopkins, but they might be forced to settle for a lesser offer as negotiations continue to drag on with the draft approaching on April 27.