National NFL writer outlines what needs to happen for Chiefs to land DeAndre Hopkins

It seemed like momentum was building last month toward a trade that would have the Arizona Cardinals send star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a new team.

But nothing has transpired, and Sports Illustrated NFL Insider Albert Breer now thinks there’s a chance Hopkins will be cut by the Cardinals.

“Some think the lack of action on Hopkins,” Breer wrote, ”is because potential suitors believe the Cardinals will wind up cutting their 30-year-old star receiver because his age and his contract make him hard to move.”

A big stumbling block for other teams is Hopkins’ salary cap hit in 2023: $30.75 million, as ESPN noted. On top of that, the Cardinals reportedly were asking for a second-round draft pick and “something else” in a trade for Hopkins, as NFL writer Mike Jurecki reported.

The NFLPA’s public salary cap report shows the Chiefs have slightly more than $5.7 million in space available. That makes a trade for Hopkins unlikely.

On the “Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast,” Breer mentioned how the Chiefs could benefit if Hopkins is released — and then takes a paycut.

“If Hopkins’ price were to come down, I mean, some teams think they’re gonna cut him,” Breer said. “I think the Cardinals are going to wind up cutting him. His market is not great right now. And even for teams, like say Kansas City — Kansas City would need him to take a significant paycut.”

Breer affirmed that if Hopkins is released by Arizona, the Chiefs could offer a contract like the one given last year to JuJu Smith-Schuster. That deal had a base salary of $3.25 million with $7.5 million in incentives, as NBC Sports noted.

Breer also mentioned that one team has been given permission by the Cardinals to talk with Hopkins, but the identity of the team wasn’t revealed.