Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has put an end to all the trade talks surrounding him this offseason in a video he posted to Instagram.
Hopkins receiver moonlighted as one of the NFL’s best receivers, catching 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games after missing part of the season due to violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy and also posting six seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards.
What did the Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins say about his trade rumor?
The Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins addressed rumors of him returning to the franchise and questioned those fans and analysts swirling the rumor of him wanting to leave Arizona in the first place by posting an Instagram video on Monday, May 1.
“I see everybody telling me to stay, Who said I wanna go? Who said I wanna leave? I’m out here working baby”, he said in the video.
“Hopkins no longer expecting a trade” – Nuk pic.twitter.com/SyK2GU1Hlh
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) May 1, 2023
Hopkins also posted shots of himself and the 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel working out with Exos Sports trainer Nicholas Hill.
The five-time Pro Bowler himself fanned the flames when he was asked to use his body language or facial expression to determine whether or not he would like to be traded to certain franchises during an appearance in the CBS Sports’ All Things Covered podcast as DHop seemed to imply he was mostly interested in being traded to the Bills or Chiefs.
Uhh the @Chiefs and @BuffaloBills might wanna pick up the phone 👀pic.twitter.com/DAwSuziq79
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 16, 2023
Lamar Jackson’s long-waited contract extension also played a role in Hopkins’ trade rumor as after the Baltimore Ravens’ contract extension of Jackson got announced, there was talk of the Cardinals WR making his way to Baltimore as Jackson’s extension was constructed.
However, Arizona’s first-year GM Monti Ossenfort shut the rumors of their three-time All-Pro receiver potentially being traded saying he doesn’t see a trade happening in the NFL Draft conference.
“I don’t foresee that happening. I don’t know what is going to happen in the next couple days, but right now, I don’t foresee that happening. DeAndre is a Cardinal. DeAndre is a Cardinal and we’re moving forward”, Ossenfort said.
The 30-year-old was acquired by the Cardinals via a trade with the Houston Texans before the 2020 season and will be under the contract through 2024 with a cap hit worth $30.8 million in 2023.
With DHop now publicly stating his commitment to the team, Cardinals fans can breathe a sigh of relief and focus on the upcoming season with optimism. The team will look forward to building upon their successful regular season and aim to make a deeper run in the playoffs next year.
