NFC West Coaching Updates: Rams, Kubiak, Cardinals
The Rams announced that they’ve finalized their coaching staff for the 2023 season earlier this month, according to Rams staff writer Stu Jackson. We covered a number of the changes from 2022 already, but below are the ones we have yet to cover.
With the departure of Thomas Brown, who will be calling plays for the Panthers in 2023, head coach Sean McVay had an opening for a new assistant head coach. We heard last month that the team added Jimmy Lake to the staff, but we didn’t have details on his role. It turns out that he will be replacing Brown as the Rams assistant head coach.
On offense, the biggest change we have yet to cover is the addition of Ron Gould as the team’s new running backs coach. After allowing Ra’Shaad Samples to depart for a college position, the Rams went and poached Gould away from San Diego State a month after Gould was named the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Aztecs. He spent the last six years coaching running backs at Stanford. Additionally, two assistants received promotions this offseason. Jake Peetz, who was an offensive assistant last year has been given the new title of pass game specialist. Kenneth Black, last year’s coaching fellow in Los Angeles, will fill Peetz’s previous role of offensive assistant.
Los Angeles made two new additions to the defensive staff. They hired Joe Coniglio to coach outside linebackers in 2023. Coniglio played a similar role for Navy last season. The other addition is Andrew Carter, who will be the new assistant defensive line coach after the departure of Skyler Jones. Carter was a defensive quality control coach for the Broncos last year.
Additionally, the Rams’ defensive staff saw a rare swap occur. Chris Shula, who served last year as the team’s pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach, will spend 2023 as the inside linebackers coach/pass rush coordinator. Last year’s inside linebackers coach, Chris Beake, will now coach defensive backs.
Here are some other staff changes in the NFC West:
- We heard last month that the 49ers added Klint Kubiak to their staff in an unnamed role. The team recently announced that Kubiak will serve as San Francisco’s offensive passing game specialist in 2023. The 49ers also announced the hires of Jacob Webster as defensive quality control coach and Max Molz as coaching operations assistant. Both are making their NFL-debuts with Webster coming from Wisconsin as a graduate assistant and Molz serving as the associate director of football operations at Missouri last year.
- The Cardinals hired some personnel help for new general manager Monti Ossenfort earlier this week, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Arizona is bringing in Rob Kisiel to a pro personnel department executive position. Kisiel has been a pro scout for the Falcons for the last two seasons and previously served as director of pro personnel for the Texans.
Latest On Brian Flores Lawsuit
March has been dominated by the flurry of free agent moves taking place around the league, but it has also seen an important development in the ongoing lawsuit led by Brian Flores. The ex-Dolphins head coach saw mixed results in a ruling on the matter of arbitration being used to settle his claims against the league and a number of its teams. 
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled that Flores can pursue his racial discrimination suit against the NFL and the Broncos, Giants and Texans in open court, as detailed by Larry Neumeister of the Associated Press. The NFL had attempted to keep the matter an internal one, and handle Flores’ claims through arbitration.
That will be the route taken to determine his case against the Dolphins, however. The same is also true of co-plaintiffs Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, who joined the suit last April. The latter two added complaints against the Cardinals and Titans, respectively, for decisions affecting them in the past. Wilks argued in the suit that Arizona hired him in 2018 as a “bridge coach” with no long-term prospects of retaining the position. Horton has alleged that Tennessee conducted a “sham” head coaching interview with him in 2016.
Per the judge’s ruling, Wilks’ and Horton’s claims (as well as Flores’ outstanding ones against the Dolphins) will be handled through arbitration owing to their respective contractual statuses at the time the alleged malpractices took place. In a statement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league will “move promptly with arbitrations… and seek to dismiss the remaining claims.”
He added, however, that the NFL “recognize[s] there is more work to be done” on the matter of diversity and inclusion. The judge’s decision was based in part on her concern about the hiring practices in the league, and added that this case has shined “an unflattering spotlight” on the NFL in this regard. Flores, who drew head coaching interest from the Cardinals before being hired as defensive coordinator of the Vikings, is now clear to test most of his claims in front of a jury.
No decision has been announced regarding whether or not NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will personally oversee the arbitration cases. It is expected he will do so, although the judge also noted she will have the authority to review his findings if he does not delegate to another member of the league. With a path now cleared to have elements of this case heard in open court, it will remain a storyline to watch in the near future.
Cardinals, WR Zach Pascal Agree To Deal
MARCH 24: Pascal’s two-year contract will be worth $4.5MM, per Sirius XM’s Howard Balzer (on Twitter). The Cardinals will give the former Colts and Eagles auxiliary target $1.5MM guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus.
MARCH 20: The Cardinals have added a new element to their passing attack, albeit one who represents a familiar face to their head coach. Wideout Zach Pascal has agreed to terms on a two-year deal, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Pascal spent the first four seasons of his career with the Colts, then played for the Eagles in 2022. In both of those stops, he was on a team coached (on the defensive side of the ball) by Jonathan Gannon, who is now in place as Arizona’s head coach. Garafolo’s colleague Ian Rapoport tweets that Pascal fielded offers from other teams, but his connection with Gannon was a key factor in his decision.
The 28-year-old’s best seasons came in 2019 and 2020, where he averaged 43 catches, 618 yards and five touchdowns per campaign. That demonstrated his abilities as a complimentary wideout, though the Colts’ recent investments at the position left him to head to Philadelphia last offseason. Playing on a one-year, $1.5MM deal, he saw a much smaller workload than he had in any of his Colts seasons.
The former UDFA made just 15 catches last season, buried on the Eagles’ depth chart behind the likes of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins. Pascal will now head to the desert with an eye on an increase in playing time while the Eagles aim to repeat the success they had in the passing game in 2022.
Pascal will give the Cardinals some size in their receiver room, given his 6-2, 214-pound stature. Arizona has diminutive wideouts Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore on its depth chart, and veteran DeAndre Hopkins‘ future remains very much up in the air. Especially if the latter is traded, Pascal will be able to provide the team with a low-cost replacement as a big-bodied pass-catching option. Whatever his role, Pascal will have a familiar face on the sidelines as he looks to return to his production of years past in a new home.
AFC East Notes: Ramsey, Patriots, Hardman
A year after acquiring Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb via trade, the Dolphins added another standout in Jalen Ramsey. Miami became a destination for Ramsey, whom Albert Breer of SI.com notes had zeroed in on landing with the AFC East club. Sean McVay met with Ramsey in January and informed him the Rams would explore trade options, mentioning the team would explore a deal as a way to restock its draft capital and reduce costs. Rams GM Les Snead called teams two weeks before the Combine to gauge interest, and after Dolphins GM Chris Grier confirmed his team might be, Vic Fangio provided a positive opinion of Ramsey’s place in his defense.
After Ramsey’s agent informed him about a Miami deal, the All-Pro cornerback instructed his representative to make sure he ended up there. The Rams may not have traded Ramsey to the Dolphins just because he wanted to be there, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets, but they did want him out of the NFC. Snead’s price point was initially too high for the Dolphins, per Breer, but the sides settled on a package of a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long. A far cry from what the Rams sent the Jaguars for Ramsey in 2019 — two first-round picks and a fourth — but the Dolphins now have the eighth-year veteran on the roster and have since adjusted his contract.
Here is the latest from the AFC East:
- The Patriots discussed DeAndre Hopkins with the Cardinals early this offseason, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, but they backed off due to Arizona’s ask (subscription required). The Cardinals are rumored to be seeking a second-round pick and change here. The NFC West team is not expected to land that, as Howe adds other teams believe the Cards want to dump Hopkins’ salary ($19.45MM in 2023). The Bills and Chiefs are now the closest links to the former All-Pro wideout.
- Mecole Hardman committed to the Jets after Aaron Rodgers indicated he wanted to be traded to New York, but the ex-Chiefs wideout said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini) the four-time MVP’s intentions did not affect his decision. While it would seem that would have at least moved the needle a bit — compared to a world in which Zach Wilson was on track for a third QB1 Jets season, at least — Hardman said he was excited to play with Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard. Hardman added (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) the Jets showed interest throughout his free agency, which ended with a one-year deal worth up to $6.5MM. Hardman did not elaborate on a Chiefs offer to bring him back, but he seemed to confirm the defending champions’ previously reported plan to move on.
- A faction of the Patriots‘ locker room voiced support for Bailey Zappe during last season’s brief QB controversy, Devin McCourty confirmed during a WEEI interview (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “It was just a back and forth, which to me, spoke more about what we had on offense than the quarterback,” McCourty said. “We never were solidified as an offensive group that guys had full confidence in anything we were doing. There was never true hope.” The Pats, who regressed on offense in 2022, have since rehired Bill O’Brien as OC. While Mac Jones won his job back amid a dysfunctional season, the Pats will give Zappe a chance to push him this year.
- The incentives in Mike Gesicki‘s one-year, $4.5MM Patriots contract include $300K bumps starting at the 40-reception mark, Doug Kyed of AtoZSports.com tweets. Gesicki could collect $1.2MM if he reaches 70 catches in 2023. There are also up to $1.2MM in available yardage incentives, with that escalator package starting at 450 yards and ending at 750. Playing-time incentives are also included in the package.
- Up to $4MM in incentives are present in Riley Reiff‘s one-year, $5MM deal. He will earn $800K by playing 53% of the Pats’ offensive snaps, per Kyed (on Twitter). These figures decrease the higher the snap rate goes, but Reiff can earn all $4.5MM by reaching an 80% snap rate.
Bills Interested In DeAndre Hopkins
Entering free agency with rumored receiver interest, the Bills have added two depth pieces (Deonte Harty, Trent Sherfield) to their pass-catching equation. They appear to be considering a much bigger swing.
The Bills are interested in trading for DeAndre Hopkins, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports (on Twitter). Buffalo joins Kansas City as teams believed to be in on the Arizona wideout, but Wilson adds Baltimore is not part of this pursuit. Hopkins appears to have heard Bills rumors as well (audio link). Extensive Hopkins interest exists, but his contract is an obvious impediment.
[RELATED: Hopkins Trade Market Accelerating?]
The Cardinals are believed to want a second-round pick and an additional asset for the 11th-year veteran, but Albert Breer of SI.com hears that type of return is not expected to be in the cards. No contract adjustment has occurred, though it should be expected. Hopkins is open to that. As of now, however, Hopkins is tied to a $19.45MM base salary ahead of his age-31 season. While Breer adds Hopkins should fetch the Cardinals more than the Texans obtained in their Brandin Cooks pick-swap deal with the Cowboys — one that sent a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth to Houston — he expects the return to be closer to the Cooks price than what the Cardinals are seeking.
Connected in trade rumors since before the 2022 deadline, Hopkins now no longer has a no-trade clause. Due to language in the former All-Pro’s contract, his 2022 PED suspension voided it. The Bills would seemingly appeal to veteran wide receivers, given the presences of Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. Hopkins and Diggs were traded on the same day in March 2020. Hopkins has not been viewed as a No. 2 wideout since his early days with Andre Johnson in Houston; he would certainly be classified as such in Buffalo.
It would undoubtedly take a contract adjustment for Hopkins to land on the Bills’ cap sheet. Diggs is tied to a $24MM-per-year deal. Only the Chargers have two receivers earning at least $20MM per year, and each is tied to $20MM-AAV deals. Buffalo’s No. 1 target is tied to a long-term extension; Hopkins’ 2020 Cardinals re-up runs through 2024. His $27MM-per-year contract calls for $19.4 and $14.9MM base salaries over the next two years. The Bills have more than $9MM in cap space, though the team did add guard David Edwards earlier today.
Buffalo rosters Gabe Davis as well, but the former fourth-round pick is going into a contract year. Davis and the since-released Isaiah McKenzie battled inconsistency last season. Hopkins’ PED suspension and his injuries over the past two years have injected unreliability into his career path, one that previously had the contested-catch maven entrenched as one of the NFL’s steadiest stars. Hopkins ripped off three straight first-team All-Pro seasons (2017-19) and topped 1,000 receiving yards six times in seven years. He has not surpassed 800 in a season since 2020; the ban and injury trouble limited him to nine games in 2022.
The Ravens are not in too much worse cap shape than the Bills are, sitting at just more than $7MM. But they also must factor in the chance of needing to match a monster Lamar Jackson offer sheet, which could feature the second-most fully guaranteed money in NFL history. Baltimore does need receiving help far more than Buffalo or Kansas City do, seeing Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay each go down with injuries.
Kansas City has been connected to both Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. The Bills hosted Beckham on a visit in December but have not been linked to him this offseason. The Chiefs have lost JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency, seeing each head to the AFC East (Patriots, Jets). The Bills hold one draft choice in each of the first five rounds and carry two in the fifth. They obtained a fifth from the Cardinals in last summer’s Cody Ford swap and sent their own to the Colts for Nyheim Hines. The Chiefs are in slightly better shape, holding an extra fourth-round pick due to their Tyreek Hill trade.
While Diggs and Davis’ presences would make Hopkins a bit of a luxury item for the Bills, they have seen the Chiefs impede their Super Bowl pursuits. Hopkins as an additional weapon would add more intrigue to this rivalry. The Bengals have now leapfrogged the Bills in the AFC hierarchy as well, and the AFC East figures to be stronger in 2023 thanks to Jalen Ramsey and, most likely, Aaron Rodgers entering the mix. As the competition intensifies, the Bills are seeing what it will take to add a proven pass catcher.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/23
Thursday’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Josh Woods
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Dylan Cole
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Tony Jones Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: CB Isaac Yiadom
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Tommy Sweeney
Washington Commanders
- Signed: T Trent Scott
Woods and Cole both served as special teams contributors to start their careers. The former is making his first move outside the NFC North, having previously played for the Bears and Lions. Likewise, the latter is set for his first stint with a non-AFC South squad, after beginning his career with the Texans and Titans. They each bring considerable third phase experience to their new teams.
Sweeny, 27, is making the New York-to-Buffalo trek several have made before him recently. He will reunite with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who served as the Bills’ offensive coordinator during their time together in Buffalo. Sweeny served in a backup role during each of his three heathy seasons to start his career, making a total of 18 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. He will look to continue operating as a secondary option at the position in New York under Daboll as the Giants incorporate Pro Bowler Darren Waller into their new-look offense.
Cardinals Sign OL Dennis Daley
New Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort has brought along an offensive lineman from Tennessee. The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed Dennis Daley to a two-year pact.
Ossenfort was the Titans director of player personnel when the team brought in Daley last offseason. The lineman ended up starting a career-high 15 games for Tennessee while filling in for Taylor Lewan at left tackle. Pro Football Focus didn’t paint a pretty picture when it came to Daley’s production, ranking him 78th among 81 qualifying offensive tackles.
PFF was a bit more fond of Daley’s performance during his time with the Panthers. The former sixth-round pick spent three years in Carolina, starting 21 of his 34 appearances.
The Cardinals will return their top three OTs in D.J. Humphries, Kelvin Beachum and Josh Jones, so Daley may have to count on an injury if he hopes to get a long long at tackle next year. However, the 26-year-old has also seen time at offensive guard, so his versatility could come in handy for Tennessee.
WR Notes: Hopkins, Cardinals, Chiefs, Ridley, Browns, Slayton, Texans, Dolphins
The Brandin Cooks trade domino dropped Sunday morning, leaving DeAndre Hopkins as the only clear-cut impact receiver trade chip available. The Cardinals continue to shop the 11th-year veteran, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes talks are ramping up (Twitter link). Hopkins is amenable to adjusting his contract to facilitate a deal, and Rapoport adds an adjusted contract is likely. As is, Hopkins’ through-2024 contract calls for a $19.45MM base salary this season. That will likely be untenable to interested teams.
As far as interested parties go, the Chiefs are viewed as a team angling to acquire a veteran. Whether it is Hopkins or Odell Beckham Jr., veteran NFL reporter Mike Jurecki adds (on Twitter) Kansas City is on the market for an addition. With JuJu Smith-Schuster signing with the Patriots, it is unsurprising the defending champions are interested in upgrading. Mecole Hardman remains a free agent, and while the Chiefs were expected to move on from the speedster, his price range may have dropped considering his extended stay in free agency. Patrick Mahomes‘ restructure created $9.6MM in cap space for the Chiefs, though they sit at just more than $9MM as of Tuesday.
Staying on the Hopkins front, here is the latest from the receiver scene:
- The Browns are not believed to be interested in reuniting Hopkins with Deshaun Watson, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets. Cleveland has a big contract at receiver (Amari Cooper‘s) already, though the team could benefit from a veteran presence alongside its No. 1 target. The Browns did host Marquise Goodwin on a visit that has spanned from Monday to today, Anderson adds (on Twitter). Goodwin spent last season with the Seahawks, catching 27 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. The former Olympic long jumper is going into his age-33 season.
- Darius Slayton is back with the Giants, re-signing on a two-year deal worth $12MM. That contract includes $4.9MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. This can be treated more like a one-year deal; the Giants can save $6MM by cutting Slayton in 2024. That said, Slayton said (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he received other offers in free agency. The Giants, despite burying him on their initial 2022 depth chart and cutting his pay, reached out early and will have the former fifth-round pick back in the fold. The team’s improvement last season helped convince Slayton to stay.
- A year after he signed for the exact terms Slayton reached (with the Jets), Braxton Berrios is now in Miami. The ex-Hurricanes receiver agreed to terms with the Dolphins on what KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes is a one-year, $3.5MM pact (Twitter link). Berrios will receive $3MM guaranteed, giving him a good chance of being part of the Dolphins’ 53-man roster. The Dolphins still have Cedrick Wilson and brought back River Cracraft and Freddie Swain last week.
- Noah Brown‘s one-year Texans deal is worth $2.6MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The longtime Cowboys wideout received $2.25MM guaranteed and can add an additional $500K through incentives.
- Addressing his season-long gambling suspension recently, Calvin Ridley said he deposited $1,500 into an unspecified betting app and, after making approximately $200 worth of NBA bets, he included the Falcons in a parlay. Denying he had inside information, Ridley said (via a piece on The Players’ Tribune) he had been away from the Falcons for a month, was not talking to anyone on the team and made the bet to root for his teammates. Regarding Ridley’s midseason Falcons exit in 2021, the former first-round pick said he was dealing with depression and anxiety. Ridley said he played most of the 2020 season (a career-high 1,374-yard slate) on a broken foot, but he was not informed of the break until June 2021. He underwent surgery, which was described as a minor procedure, but said he was not close to 100% by Week 1. This and Ridley’s house being robbed on that Week 1 Sunday intensified his anxiety. The NFL reinstated Ridley, now with the Jaguars, earlier this month.
Cardinals Sign DE L.J. Collier, Re-Sign CB Antonio Hamilton
Former Seahawks first-round defensive end L.J. Collier will have another chance in the NFC West. The Cardinals are bringing in the edge rusher, according to the team.
They also announced Tuesday cornerback Antonio Hamilton is staying. Both defenders signed one-year contracts with the retooling team. Hamilton joins a few Steve Keim–Kliff Kingsbury-era additions in coming back. Kelvin Beachum and Matt Prater also agreed to stay in Arizona to start the Monti Ossenfort–Jonathan Gannon regime.
One of a few off-board first-round picks the Seahawks have made in recent years, Collier represented the John Schneider–Pete Carroll regime’s biggest swing and miss in the round. Collier was barely seeing playing time by the time his rookie contract ended, with healthy scratches coming at points during his rookie deal. The TCU product ended his Seattle career with just three sacks; each of those came in 2020.
This will be an uphill battle for a reclamation project, considering Collier’s scant production. The Seahawks tried him as a starter in only 2020, when he started 16 games. They moved on to other first-string options over the past two seasons. Collier, 27, maxed out at six sacks in a season in college as well. The former Horned Frogs edge player’s modest college production left him off the first-round radar, but as the Seahawks have shown with Rashaad Penny and Jordyn Brooks, they care little for consensus options in the draft. The Cards will attempt to use Collier at multiple positions up front, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
Hamilton rebounded from a late-summer kitchen accident, which resulted in serious burns on his feet and landed him on the Cardinals’ reserve/NFI list to start the season. The well-traveled cornerback re-emerged to play in 10 games and start a career-high five. The 6-foot defender notched his first interception and allowed a career-low 82.0 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage. Pro Football Focus also assessed Hamilton’s work positively, ranking him 36th at the position after his 418-snap 2022.
The Cardinals looked into ex-Gannon charge James Bradberry and were interested in re-signing Byron Murphy, but after Murphy — now a Viking — worked as Arizona’s No. 1 corner over the past two seasons, the team remains in dire need at the position. Hamilton, 30, should represent an early piece of this puzzle. The veteran will come on an affordable contract, earning $1.5MM guaranteed and a max value of $2MM, per Fowler (on Twitter). The Cards, who did not move aggressively at corner last year, will need to add multiple additional corners before the offseason ends.
DeAndre Hopkins Hires Agent, Open To Adjusting Contract
MARCH 19: In an update on Hopkins’ situation, veteran reporter Mike Jurecki notes that the five-time Pro Bowler’s willingness to adjust his contract does not necessarily guarantee that he would be open to taking a pay cut (Twitter link). Doing so would likely be needed to make an acquiring team more amenable to a trade, and could be hinted at by his reported lack of desire to reset the WR market on his next deal. With many members of this year’s free agent class having agreed to new deals, it will be interesting to monitor how much attention Hopkins and the Cardinals get on the matter of a potential trade, something which will be affected by his contract status.
MARCH 8: The Amari Cooper, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill trades occurred within two weeks of each other last March. With teams staring at a mediocre free agent wide receiver class this year, it should be expected some movement will take place as clubs prepare to make upgrades.
DeAndre Hopkins remains the top name believed to be available. Mentioned in trade rumors for several weeks, Hopkins is obviously hearing the rumblings about his Arizona departure. Jonathan Gannon stopped short of guaranteeing Hopkins would be a Cardinal in 2023, and the former All-Pro pass catcher offered a similar status update Wednesday.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of trade talks, but I take things day for day,” Hopkins said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance (video link). “I don’t look forward for the future, I live in the present moment. Right now, the Arizona Cardinals is the team and roster that I’m on. I’m preparing myself for whatever the future holds.”
Some changes have occurred with Hopkins since he was last traded, and more may be coming. Shortly after being traded from the Texans to the Cardinals, Hopkins went through an agent-less negotiation. The 30-year-old standout confirmed Wednesday (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban, on Twitter) he has since hired an agent. Hopkins’ $27MM-per-year extension has two years remaining, and it might take a contract adjustment for the Cardinals to move his deal. Hopkins is set to make $19.45MM in base salary this year.
Although a trade opens the door to what would be Hopkins’ fourth NFL contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) he is not believed to be seeking a top-market price. Hopkins plans to be flexible regarding his deal’s final two years, which could open the door to more possibilities on the trade front. Hopkins’ trade value has taken a hit, given the injuries and PED suspension that took a previously durable player out of action for much of the past two seasons. Even ahead of an age-31 season, he should still generate considerable attention. A trade might not be far off.
With the thrice-traded Brandin Cooks the only other name steadily mentioned in trade rumors at receiver, Hopkins is expected to fetch the Cardinals a decent price. The team is believed to have worked out trade parameters that involve a second-round pick and change going back to Arizona. A number of teams are interested in Cooks, so it would stand to reason Hopkins is garnering similar interest. Hopkins’ 2022 PED suspension voided the no-trade clause in his contract, providing the Cardinals more flexibility as well.