The Arizona Cardinals claimed that they were looking forward to keeping DeAndre Hopkins on the team for the long run, but that wasn’t the case.
They failed to trade him and his $20 million contract, even holding on to him during the NFL Draft despite multiple rumors of interest from the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
The Cardinals released the veteran wideout, who’s still a free agent after several days of rumors, reports, and back and forth.
Now, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that there is no rush from Hopkins or his camp to get a deal done right now.
Few notes on DeAndre Hopkins after asking around:
-Open-minded about teams league-wide. No short list I’m aware of
-Prepared to be patient: Minicamp could be considered a soft deadline, training camp a harder deadline.
-Taking free agent visits a possibility
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 1, 2023
Fowler states that Hopkins could wait until the minicamp or even training camp before making a decision, adding that he could also visit multiple teams as a free agent.
Not so long ago, Hopkins was considered one of the best — if not the best — wide receivers in the game, and one could argue that he had the most reliable pair of hands in the game.
He posted video game-caliber numbers year in and year out despite spending most of his career with subpar quarterbacks, but he failed to make the most of his time with the Cardinals.
Kliff Kingsbury’s team underperformed more often than not, and injuries and a PED suspension didn’t do a lot to help his case.
Now, some around the league believe he no longer has what it takes to make an impact, so he’s doing well by staying patient and waiting until the right situation comes up.
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