Are Cardinals Asking Too Much for DeAndre Hopkins?

The Arizona Cardinals continue shopping WR DeAndre Hopkins. Now, the team has reportedly re-visited their demands for the receiver.

When Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins was first rumored to be on the trade block, you'd figure it wouldn't take long before Hopkins found a new home. 

Hopkins has proved to still have some of that coveted juice left in the tank, and would immediately upgrade any offense he arrives to. However, concerns about his contract, age and overall availability to stay on the field. 

MMQB's Albert Breer reported the Cardinals were in search of a second-round pick and something else of value in their negotiations. However, there's been little bites, and multiple reports suggest Arizona will have to settle on a deal similar to what landed Brandin Cooks with the Dallas Cowboys (a fifth and sixth-round selection). 

We've yet to see anything materialize, and with nearly a month until the 2023 NFL Draft, pressure continues to mount on Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort to strike a deal and get extra picks to help kickstart the rebuild. 

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler appeared on NFL Live and gave an update on the situation:

"Talking to other teams around the league, they do expect something to shake out with a Hopkins trade with Arizona in the near future - but Arizona would have to come off their asking price. I've talked to teams who say that Arizona has wanted a second-round pick and more, almost like a Christian McCaffrey package that you saw during the season last year ... Teams aren't willing to do that as of yet," Fowler said.

Are the Cardinals asking too much for Hopkins? 

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi described his market as soft:

“I think his market is really soft. I don’t think anybody wants to get into the Hopkins business, and then have to redo his contract,” said Lombardi.

“From what I’m told, it’s soft. There’s not a lot of action out there on him. He’s a good player, he’s always covered, but he always comes up with the football. But there’s other things that go into this, that I’m not at liberty to discuss that’s probably holding it all back.”

Are the Cardinals asking for too much in a trade for Hopkins? 

It would be silly for Arizona to negotiate against themselves by starting with a lower price. Eventually a team may budge (whether that's now or during the regular season) and pay the asking price. 

Start higher and settle below - that's typically the name of the game. 

However, there will be a certain point where teams could be genuinely turned off by Arizona's standards and drop themselves out of the race. That would leave the Cardinals with a nearly 31-year-old receiver with the second highest cap hit in the league as far as receivers go, something that isn't ideal for a team entering rebuild mode. 

Then again, we are talking about one of the best receivers of his generation that can still offer something of value to a team.

It feels like Arizona settling for a Cooks-like package would be disappointing in a few different aspects. If the goal is to simply shed salary and acquire draft capital, the Cardinals may eventually have to settle. 

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