Report: Many teams inquired about Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins at deadline

The Arizona Cardinals were reportedly asked by “several teams” about star wideout DeAndre Hopkins at the NFL trade deadline, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The deadline passed on Tuesday and it was quite a busy day for the league that has a minimal amount of trade activity relative to other major sports leagues. Hopkins returned from his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs and has lit the league on fire over the last two weeks.

In his first two games back, Hopkins caught 22 balls for 262 yards and a jaw-dropping one-handed touchdown grab. He recorded over 10 catches and 100 yards in both contests, so it was no surprise teams were interested in one of the league’s best.

“Sources say DeAndre Hopkins was the subject of a flurry of trade calls, with several teams reaching out to Cardinals general manager Steve Keim to see if the star wideout would be available,” Rapoport reported.

“According to several people with knowledge of the situation, Keim was unwilling to move Hopkins. What’s unclear is if Keim wasn’t doing a deal at any price or if teams simply didn’t meet his price.”

The 30-year-old will become a free agent in 2025 and is owed $19.45 million next year and $14.915 million in 2024. The Cardinals sit at 3-5 on the season and face a pivotal point in their year with three-straight division games, but Keim did not want to pull the trigger.

The team may have been hesitant to strike a deal after the team’s rapid decline in offensive efficiency at the end of last season without Hopkins. Arizona also made a major investment into its star quarterback Kyler Murray and taking away one of the best wideouts from a growing franchise cornerstone was not in the GM’s plans.

Murray has been a more efficient passer on the field this year when Hopkins is present, averaging 1.4 more passing yards per attempt. His completion percentage is better (70% to 65.1%) and so is his passer rating (97.7 to 81.9). Murray is also more aggressive and efficient with Hopkins.

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