DeAndre Hopkins is RELEASED by Cardinals as franchise avoids $30 MILLION cap

DeAndre Hopkins is RELEASED by Cardinals as franchise avoids $30 MILLION cap by parting ways with All-Pro wide receiver

  • DeAndre Hopkins had flirted with other teams before this offseason
  • And now he will seek a new team after being fired by the Cardinals on Friday
  • DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

DeAndre Hopkins has been released by the Cardinals, the team announced Friday.

Hopkins is said to have had a cap hit of $30.7 million this season, and the team opted to advance from the All-Pro wideout with newly installed GM Monti Ossenfort rebuilding a squad that went just 4-13 last year. went.

Arizona will still catch a $22.6 million dead salary cap next season before Hopkins’ contract is struck from the books.

The move comes after fiery off-season speculation that Hopkins wanted to be traded to another franchise, with the 30-year-old previously indicating he would be interested in playing for the Bills or Chiefs.

While Hopkins would later deny rumors that he wanted out of Arizona, the official Cardinals website acknowledged that the team “could not find a trading partner” before cutting ties with him.

DeAndre Hopkins has been released by the Cardinals after speculation he might be traded

Bills linebacker Von Miller last month teased the possibility of Hopkins joining him at Buffalo

Bills linebacker Von Miller last month teased the possibility of Hopkins joining him at Buffalo

Bills linebacker Von Miller said last month that Hopkins wanted to be a Bill, and the All-Pro receiver essentially confirmed that when he appeared on “I AM ATHLETEearlier this week – while still on the Cardinals.

Hopkins named Bills quarterback Josh Allen as a passer he would like to play with, as well as the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Chargers’ Justin Herbert.

After being acquired in 2020 along with a fourth round pick for a second round pick, running back David Johnson and a future fourth round pick, Hopkins had mixed results in Arizona.

The receiver excelled in his freshman year, catching a franchise-record 115 balls for 1,407 yards, but things went downhill after that.

Due to injuries, he only played 10 games in 2021, and played one fewer the following season as he missed the first six games of the season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.