DeAndre Hopkins Rumors: Bills Won't Trade for Cardinals WR Barring Major Development

DeAndre Hopkins will not be joining Stefon Diggs in Buffalo.

Tim Graham of The Athletic reported Hopkins will not be traded to the Bills "barring a significant development."

The Cardinals are exploring trading Hopkins, but it does not appear they've made significant progress in negotiations with any team. New head coach Jonathan Gannon said he's working under the assumption Hopkins will be with the team next season.

"I'm operating that he's a Cardinal right now," Gannon told NFL Network's Steve Wyche on Sunday. "So, I'm looking forward to getting in the meeting room and on the field with him and seeing where it can go. I just know he's an elite player. Being a defensive guy, I had to go up against him a couple times in the division. The challenges that he presents. I'm excited to get to work with him."

Hopkins has a $30 million cap number for the 2023 season, which is unsustainable if the Cardinals hope to continue improving their roster this offseason. While the team has significant cap space and could theoretically keep Hopkins at that number, it seems like a misallocation of resources.

The Cardinals can save $8.9 million by trading or cutting Hopkins by June 1, which matters less for 2023 than it does for keeping their cap sheet clean moving forward. It's telling that Arizona has not restructured Hopkins' deal, which would save more than trading or cutting him.

A restructure would push dead-cap figures down the line, and teams only do that if they're planning on keeping a player long term. Hopkins is only under contract through 2024 but has shown signs of regression over the last two years and missed six games last season because of a performance-enhancing drug suspension.

The Bills are expected to explore improvements in their receiving corps after Gabe Davis struggled to emerge as a true WR2 next to Diggs last season. Adding Hopkins would arguably be the offensive equivalent of the splash Buffalo made last offseason when veteran Von Miller inked a six-year, $120 million deal to fortify the team's front seven.

That said, the Bills do not have much breathing room under the cap and have to factor in signing their draft picks. In the event of a trade, Hopkins' salary is just too high unless the team decides to ink him to an extension with void years for cap purposes.