Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins continues recruiting Julio Jones
May 24, 2021, 11:59 AM | Updated: 2:54 pm
Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones’ speculation-filled offseason reached another level Monday morning with the wideout telling Undisputed’s Shannon Sharpe over the phone and on live TV that he was “out of there” when asked about Atlanta.
It didn’t take long for just about everyone across the NFL landscape to chime in, including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who posted a picture of himself with teammate A.J. Green and Jones during a 2016 Pro Bowl practice with Michael Irvin soon after the phone call.
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“Julio [you] remember what we talked about,” Hopkins said using the conversation bubble emoji.
It’s the latest social post from Hopkins regarding Jones in recent days.
On Friday, the Cardinals receiver hinted he would be fine with a contract restructure if it meant Jones would land in Arizona.
“Somebody at the gym asked me would I restructure my contract for Julio?” Hopkins said in a now-deleted Twitter post with a gif of Neil Patrick Harris smiling with two thumbs up.
While the financials would need to be sorted, adding the seven-time Pro Bowler would certainly give the Cardinals receiving corps a massive boost.
Hopkins turned in a huge first year with the Cardinals that resulted in 1,407 yards and six touchdowns on 115 catches. But outside of the All-Pro, there was significant drop in production, with Christian Kirk No. 2 on the team in receiving yards (621) and receptions (48).
The Cardinals hope to have remedied that issue with the offseason signing of Green and the selection of former Purdue wideout Rondale Moore in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
A trio of Hopkins, Jones and Green would be a dream scenario for just about any offensive-minded coach, but with other positions like tight end still needed to be addressed, adding another wide receiver seems unlikely given the depth.
That’s clearly not stopping Hopkins from trying to speak it into existence, though.