With the Dallas Cowboys trading for Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks, the attention has shifted from the NFL’s free agency period back to the trade market.
Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks, but there has been little tangible movement. Things are beginning to appear a bit more real for the five-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl wide receiver, though.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, trade talks surrounding Hopkins are “ramping up” among interested teams. Could the Kansas City Chiefs be among the interested parties? We know that one of their new free agent signings is certainly a fan of the idea. We also know the team has a need at the wide receiver position after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster to the New England Patriots. But what of the financial implications of making a trade for Hopkins? Let’s explore.
As the status of #AZCardinals star WR DeAndre Hopkins comes into focus, talks are ramping up among the interested teams, sources say. Similar to Brandin Cooks, a trade would likely mean an altered contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 21, 2023
Part of Rapoport’s latest update suggested that a trade would likely include an “altered contract” for Hopkins. That doesn’t necessarily mean an extension, given that Cooks restructured his deal to create cap space for the Cowboys.
The Chiefs are projected to have around $9.5 million in salary cap space available before the recent signings of Drue Tranquill and Mike Edwards, but after the deal to bring back Nick Allegretti. Even if that $9.5 million was all available to Kansas City, the number wouldn’t be enough to cover his $19.45 million cap hit for 2023. K.C. would either have to do some other salary-cap clearing move to create space (there are still a few contracts they can restructure) or they’d have to work something out with Hopkins to lower that number. That could be an extension with some extra years of funny money tacked on. There’s also a chance that they could offer Arizona a greater level of compensation so that they could eat some more of the costs in 2023.
Financials may or may not be restrictive for the Chiefs in a hypothetical trade for Hopkins, but they certainly shouldn’t stop them from engaging in talks, if there are talks to be had as Rapoport’s report would suggest.
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