Can Ravens Afford A DeAndre Hopkins Trade?

The Baltimore Ravens could be a potential suitor for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins who has yet to find himself a trade.

The Arizona Cardinals have yet to find a trade partner in their quest to get rid of star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Despite his rumored interest in joining the Dallas Cowboys, they went in another direction, acquiring Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans. 

Since the Cooks trade, it seems the Cowboys are out of the market for receiving help, which has meant Hopkins is staying put. At least for now, as in a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, former Pro Bowl cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones 'reported' that a deal with the Cardinals could see Hopkins move to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Whether "Pacman" actually has sources is yet to be determined. But the thought of the Ravens adding Hopkins is nonetheless intriguing, especially after signing Odell Beckham Jr. If the report is accurate and a trade does happen, how would the Ravens afford him? 

An article from the Baltimore Beatdown created multiple potential paths that would see the Ravens create enough cap space to get the deal done. 

Path 1: Cardinals Retain Part of Hopkins' Salary

As Baltimore Beatdown notes, reports have indicated that the Cardinals would be willing to keep part of Hopkins' contract on the books in a trade. In this scenario, the Cardinals would pay $8 million of Hopkins' $19 million, which makes it a much more "manageable" $11 million for the Ravens to pay. 

Path 2: Restructure Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey's Contracts

If getting Arizona to pay $8 million is too much to ask for without forcing the Ravens to part with more draft capital, they could go down the path of contract restructuring. 

Restructuring the contracts of offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey could free up $14.8 million in cap space. 

This, in all likelihood, would mean they'd also have to release a player or maybe entice the Cardinals to pay the other $4.2 million. 

Path 3: Roster Cuts  

Lastly, the article lists four moves the Ravens could make via releases and a trade. First, the Baltimore Beatdown says cutting wide receivers Tylan Wallace and James Proche would save $1.779 in cap. While also, letting go of Devin Duvernay would free up another $4.304 million.

But where it gets interesting is the possibility of Baltimore trading away linebacker Patrick Queen. The article notes that the Ravens have yet to pick up on his fifth-year option. Trading Queen would save the Raven $2.27 million, giving them the space to acquire Hopkins if they made all the other moves.

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