Could Eagles Afford Signing Former Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins?

DeAndre Hopkins is now the hottest free agent after being released from the Arizona Cardinals on Friday. Should - and could - the Philadelphia Eagles make a move?

The big news heading into Memorial Day weekend was the Arizona Cardinals releasing star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. While the Philadelphia Eagles are not considered major players in the race to sign the 30-year-old, could they afford Hopkins if they wanted to sign him? 

A tweet from CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr revealed the salary cap room left for the Eagles to be at about $14.6 million. This gives them more than the rest of the five teams that Hopkins listed as franchises he'd be interested in playing for, which includes teams like the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. Hopkins stated his interest in the Eagles during a recent interview on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, and Philadelphia meets all of his criteria. 

The Eagles have "stable management upstairs," as Hopkins would say. Eagles' general manager Howie Roseman doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Additionally, quarterback Jalen Hurts showed this past season that he could push everybody around him to make the team better. Finally, of course, the Eagles boast a "great defense" that was a defensive holding penalty away from winning a Super Bowl.

So with the criteria out of the way, what would a potential Hopkins deal look like for the team who signs him? 

Pro Football Network recently projected that Hopkins would look for a similar deal to what the Baltimore Ravens gave Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency this offseason. Even after sitting out the entirety of the 2022 season with an ACL injury, Beckham signed a one-year, $15 million deal with nearly $14 million in guaranteed money. 

If Hopkins were to take the same deal that Beckham took from the Ravens, that would leave him $4 million short of what he would've made in Arizona. That is the big question, though: Will Hopkins be willing to take a discount?

If so, the Eagles could be a major candidate to sign him, as he'd undoubtedly add to an elite offense that already features A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith at receiver. 

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