Analysis: How did it get to this point between the Arizona Cardinals and DeAndre Hopkins?
This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out.
When the Arizona Cardinals orchestrated their March 2020 trade with the Houston Texans to acquire All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, it was widely regarded as the steal of the century in the NFL.
In the moment and through Hopkins’ first season in Arizona, it may have been then-General Manager Steve Keim’s greatest work, bigger than plucking quarterback Carson Palmer from the Raiders for a sixth-round draft pick, better perhaps than even signing quarterback Kurt Warner off the scrapheap as a free agent in 2005.
Hopkins wasn’t an aging former superstar when he joined the Cardinals. He was 27 and in the prime of his career. Not only that, but Keim got him for a song, sending a second-round pick to Houston along with unloading unproductive running back David Johnson and his way-too-hefty salary and a flip of fourth-round picks to complete the fleecing.
The move ultimately would help result in the firing of Bill O’Brien as Houston’s head coach and general manager. Texans fans are probably still whining about the lopsided trade and Cardinals fans weren’t bashful about piling on and rubbing it in.
For his part, Hopkins made it feel even more too good to be true by setting a franchise single-season record his first year in Arizona with 115 receptions for 1,407 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Kyler Murray was completely invested and enthralled with his new-found No. 1 pass catcher and everything appeared to be on the rise.
And sure enough, it was. In 2021, the Cardinals raced out to a 7-0 start and won 10 of their first 12 games overall. But with Hopkins nursing a hamstring injury and then suffering a torn MCL in his knee, the Cardinals faltered badly down the stretch and the season ended with an ugly loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round.
That’s the beginning of the explanation as to why the Cardinals found themselves where they were on Friday, choosing to release Hopkins after just three seasons. It’s not how it was supposed to turn out, but a series of events and circumstances brought us to this moment, and it may have been unavoidable.
Hopkins’ knee injury didn’t heal as fast as some thought it would and making matters worse, Hopkins failed a drug test, and it was learned he would be suspended for the first six games of last season for violating the league’s policy regarding performance-enhancing drugs.
In his first game back, Hopkins responded with 10 receptions for 103 yards in a 42-34 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. He followed that up with 12 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown during a 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. He would even end up leading the Cardinals with 717 receiving yards in 2022 and finishing second overall with 64 receptions.
There are factions in and around the franchise who believe Hopkins never was utilized correctly in former coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. He was mostly kept on the left side of the field and became more of a safety blanket for Murray than a versatile playmaker you could move around.
But in what would go down as a lost 4-13 season, it’s also important to remember that Hopkins checked out on his team in the end. He chose to skip the final two weeks, making himself unavailable to finish things off. It didn’t sit well within the organization
