Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

DeAndre Hopkins Isn’t “Demanding” New Contract From Cardinals

By Ben Levine | at April 21, 2020 10:20 am

While DeAndre Hopkins‘ demands for an extension or raise may have led to his ouster from Houston, it doesn’t sound like the star wideout is making the same requests from his new team. In a fascinating profile of Hopkins, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop writes that the receiver isn’t “demanding” a new contract from the Cardinals.

However, the two sides are indeed discussing a new deal. In fact, there’s belief that Hopkins’ next contract could make him the “the highest-paid nonquarterback in the NFL.” That title currently belongs to Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, who’s earning $23.5MM per season. Falcons receiver Julio Jones is the highest-paid player at his position, taking home $22MM per season.

Back in 2017, Hopkins signed a lucrative five-year extension that includes $49MM in guaranteed money. Unfortunately for the star wideout, that contract soon became antiquated, and the remaining three seasons on the deal are non-guaranteed. In terms of average annual value, Hopkins currently ranks eighth among wide receivers.

Still, while his contract may be outdated, that’s not as much of a concern now that he’s playing for a new team. As Hopkins told Bishop, he had been looking to move on from the Texans for some time, and his desire for a trade was mostly due to his lack of a relationship with Texans head coach Bill O’Brien (who, Hopkins believes, was trying to trade him for more than a year). The receiver understood that “asking for a little raise would lead to the outcome…that I wanted.”

That premonition ended up becoming a reality. Back in March, the Texans sent Hopkins and a fourth-rounder to Arizona for running back David Johnson, a second-rounder, and a fourth-rounder.

Texans’ Bill O’Brien On DeAndre Hopkins Trade

By Zachary Links | at April 17, 2020 11:23 am

The Texans have been roundly criticized for the DeAndre Hopkins trade, but head coach Bill O’Brien doesn’t seem to be having any second thoughts about the swap. In a virtual press conference with reporters, O’Brien defended the deal that brought running back David Johnson to Houston. 

[RELATED: David Johnson Passes Texans Physical]

“We feel very, very good about being able to get the 40th pick, being able to get David Johnson,” O’Brien said (via Reuters). “We feel really good about when we looked at the analytics of it, based on the production that was leaving our team and the production that we were bringing in, and then what we were able to do. Again, it’s very incomplete, and we have several roster moves left to go, including a draft and all the other things that I mentioned earlier. So we feel very good about the value that we got from the trade.”

The Texans didn’t stop dealing after that. Soon after shipping Hopkins to the Cardinals, they sent their original 2020 second-rounder to the Rams for Brandin Cooks while holding on to the No. 40 pick from Arizona. In short, they dealt one of the game’s most dangerous wide receivers for a lesser receiver with a history of concussions and once elite running back who has been slowed by multiple injuries. Fans in Houston are none-too-pleased, but O’Brien is asking them to be patient.

“I think the best thing I can tell the fans is to please — because I know the media’s job is to evaluate right away, I get that, I have a lot of respect for the media, I’ve always said that — but I think we have to let it all play out,” O’Brien said. “Let it play out. Let the whole thing play out, whether it’s that trade or anything else that we’ve done. I’d say let’s review it a year from now, two years from now, three years from now. Let’s let it all play out.”

In a “down” 2019, Hopkins still managed 104 catches for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns. Johnson, meanwhile, carried the ball just 94 times and averaged 3.7 yards per try.