DeAndre Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, was waived on Friday, and like all of us, Tyrann Mathieu was left speechless by the news and expressed disappointment over the move.
Nuk appeared for the Houston Texans for his first seven NFL seasons before joining the Cardinals. He signed on with Arizoana in 2020, and he continued to play 35 games for the Cardinals throughout three seasons after that.
Why Cardinals release DeAndre Hopkins?
Hopkins’ contract with Arizona still has two years left on it, nevertheless, the team reported on Friday that they dismissed the wide receiver as a salary cap measure as the team was unable to negotiate with an exchange partner for him.
The former Cardinals player is now able to make an agreement with any team he prefers following his release. He was projected to have a nearly $31 million salary cap this season, with a $22.6 million cap hit for dead money.
What was Tyrann Mathieu’s statement in response to Hopkins’s release?
In response to the teams’ decision to release DeAndre, Saints safety expressed his dismay and referred to the action as “tanking” in a tweet.
“They tanking fasho fasho,” he tweeted.
They tanking fasho fasho
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) May 26, 2023
In addition to being one of only four players in NFL history to have 750+ receptions, 10,500+ receiving yards, and 65+ touchdowns in his first nine-year tenure, the Ex-Cardinals star player ended up being the only NFL player to have 100+ receptions every season between 2018 and 20.
During his three seasons with the Cardinals in Arizona, the wide receiver was among the best in the league. The 30-year-old recorded 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns on 221 receptions, including 64 catches for a team-high 717 yards and three TDs in his last season with the team. He was, however, given a six-game ban in 2022 for breaking the NFL’s PED policy after he failed a performance-enhancing drug test the league had given him in November 2021.
The Patriots, Chiefs, and Bills are among the teams that are rumored to be interested in signing Hopkins after the Cardinals released him, but in an interview with CBS Sports, Hopkins humorously stated that he wasn’t interested in being traded to either the New York Jets or the New England Patriots. Hopkins did, however, express his desire to join the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs by using body language.
The WRs’ future in the NFL will only become obvious with time. Till then, stay tuned!
