NEWSLETTER
Hoooo boy, the DeAndre Hopkins trade talk just got pretty interesting …
- The Cardinals continue to be a frequent flyer in the BN NFL content cycle, and more often than not, for the wrong reasons. Just yesterday, I led these bullets with fan-favorite Budda Baker’s request for a trade from the franchise. Now, there’s some movement on the DeAndre Hopkins trade front.
- On a recent All Things Covered Podcast episode with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson, Hopkins was asked only to share his feelings on potential landing spots via body language. McFadden named the Patriots, Bills, Jets, and Chiefs in this exercise. Hopkins clearly wanted to play with Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes and was not interested in playing with the Patriots or Jets.
- So, Hopkins is willing to go to Buffalo or Kansas City. That’s interesting. To be clear, Hopkins doesn’t have a say in where the Cardinals trade him. His no-trade clause was voided by his PED suspension last season. Still, it was interesting to get an idea of what he was feeling.
- The conversation fueled by the video of Hopkins sharing his thoughts on potential landing spots with McFadden drummed up enough speculation on Twitter that Hopkins felt the need to clear up an essential wrinkle in all of this … Hopkins isn’t looking for a raise from a new team:
- “Nuk” is Hopkins’ nickname, and he’s sighting himself as the source in this case. From the start, the common belief was that Hopkins would want a reworked deal with a new team that included a raise.
- Now, who knows whether this was the case or simply new feelings by Hopkins? However, this should be something that helps move things along if Hopkins is indeed ready to move on from the Cardinals. Which, at this point, why wouldn’t he be?
- Still, things might not move any faster. It’s financially beneficial for the Cardinals to wait to trade him after June 1. Hopkins will make $19.45 million in 2023 and $14.915 million in 2024. He has a cap number of $30.75 million with the Cardinals in 2023. Trading him before June 1 creates a cap charge of $22.6 million. Trading him after June 1 splits the cap hit equally between 2023 and 2024.
- Another interesting thing in today’s Hopkins happenings is that he seemed to indicate that he wasn’t interested in playing for the Patriots. Even though the Patriots were one of the teams known to be interested in Hopkins. Last month, Jeff Howe (who covers the Patriots for The Athletic) reported that New England called the Cardinals regarding Hopkins. New England ended up signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace Jakobi Meyers. Then it went silent on the wide receiver front. So, there might be little interest from New England at this point. Still, there was, as recently as last month.
- If we’re honest, I’m not sure I would want to play for the Patriots if I was in Hopkins’ shoes. It’s been made clear that Bill Belichick isn’t a fan of Mac Jones, who remains the starting QB in what could be a messy pairing if Jones can’t prove Belichick wrong in 2023. Jones will work with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien this season to ensure that doesn’t happen. Jones seemed happy about Bill O’Brien’s arrival as the offensive coordinator when asked about him in an interview with WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South in Brockton.
“I think we’re all excited for this next year, and it just starts with putting your head down and going to work,” Jones said when asked about his working relationship with O’Brien. “We’ve got a great group of guys, and it’s all about how you come together as a team — players, coaches, everybody.
- Jones was solid during his rookie campaign in 2021 but took a step back in 2022. Instability in the New England offense and Jones’ vocal displeasure led Bill Belichick to reportedly shop Jones in trade discussions this offseason despite nothing materializing.
- It sure sounds like the Dalvin Cook era in Minnesota is coming to a close …
- Chosen Anderson is heading to Miami on a one-year deal, joining Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle in Mike McDaniel’s offense:
- I stumbled across this, and it’s hilariously accurate …
- Are you ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Tab has you covered with a non-Blackhawks viewing guide:
- The Bulls brass spoke to the media on Saturday. Eli has you covered with the takeaways from their season-ending availability.
