It came out yesterday that DeAndre Hopkins will miss more than a third of the 2022 season due to a violation of the NFL’s PED policy. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes, his return from suspension will play a large role in affecting his future with the Cardinals beyond the coming campaign. 
[RELATED: Hopkins Suspended Six Games For PED Violation]
The 29-year-old was everything the Cardinals would have asked for in his first year after being traded by the Texans. He put up his third-highest career total in terms of receiving yards with 1,407, adding six touchdowns on 115 receptions. Part of the reason he was able to do that was the fact that he was available for the entire season. As of the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Hopkins had missed only two games in his career.
That changed last year, though. He missed a combined total of seven contests in the regular season, as well as the team’s playoff loss to the Rams. His absence down the stretch was caused by a torn MCL, and had a dramatic impact on the team’s offense. The suspension means that, by the time Hopkins his eligible to return, he will have been sidelined for 14 of Arizona’s 16 most recent games.
Breer confirms that, as many expected, the knowledge of Hopkins’ impending suspension contributed to “the Cardinals’ pursuit of, and eventual trade for” Marquise Brown. More importantly, though, Breer also notes the financial ramifications of keeping Hopkins beginning in 2023. At that point, his salary is scheduled to jump from $6.65MM to just under $19.5MM, while his cap hit will spike to over $30MM. The 2024 season would, as his contract is currently structured, be similarly expensive.
Between that, and the uncertainty which will surround the five-time Pro Bowler regarding his recovery, Breer writes that “how the back end of 2022 goes for him could go a long way to determining where his career goes thereafter”. That statement would have been much more surprising 24 hours ago, but now, the degree to which it could hold true will be a storyline worth watching throughout the year.
Ravens fans know Hollywood wont replace Hopkins.
Uhhh…DUH! There are only two WR’s in the entire NFL that would – Adams/Cupp. So of course Hollywood wouldnt.
I would take Chase , AJ Brown , Hill along with Adam’s and Kupp .. over Hopkins. Maybe even Deboo Samual. All things considered , especially at their current points in their career.
Of course you would. DHop missed the last half of the season. Doesnt change that he’s still top 3 receiver in the league when healthy
has the potential to be* he is an elite talent for sure but until he comes back and plays ill rank those 6 and JJ over hop without a second thought
Patrick Peterson all over again. Selfish stupidity
Or maybe we all have unrealistic expectations of what kind of physical punishment football players can take and recover from without taking anything extra, and then people who couldn’t withstand one hit from the smallest defender in the NFL get to act morally superior.
It’s not about our expectations. It’s about the league’s expectations and rules. Performance-enhancing drugs are not allowed, and his use thereof is costing his team and teammates in the long run.
And let’s not be so naive to think “physical punishment” is the motivator here. Healthy players are just as apt to use PEDs because better performance stats lead to a bigger payday when it’s time to renew a contract.
Imagine thinking these guys are willingly taking banned substances
Um…
Um…
Bill O’Brien must have had a crystal ball – realized that a rotational DL (Ross Blaylock – the 2nd rounder received in the Hopkins trade) would end up having more value than DeAndre in 2022-23. Let’s get BOB back to GM a franchise (preferably the Colts)!
*read with extreme sarcasm…except the part where BOB takes over the Colts – I’m fine with that*
Bill O’Brien was such a terrible GM that for one shining moment, he made Steve Keim look smart.
I hope the cardinals decide they hate DHop and he comes to Chicago so bad, cardinals might be a sneaky pathetic franchise honestly, what’s goin on in the desert?
AZ is pathetic because one player unwillingly ingested a banned substance?
Riiiiiight
Arizona is pathetic because of Bill Bidwell. Always has been.
Umm… does someone want to tell him?
Bill Bidwell died in 2019
Yeah but his massively retarded family is still mucking up the franchise. He is responsible for creating Michael and instilled decades of lasting mediocrity….Bill Bidwell is the reason the cardinals are pathetic.
Quite aggressive, but I dont necessarily disagree with the premise. Everyone loves bashing the players and coaches, but the reality is the Bidwells have a lot more to do with the lack of consistent success than anyone is willing to admit.
Side note, I was at a party one time and Michael Bidwell and his wife were there.
Holy crap his wife is a condescending, elitist, jerk. Wouldnt surprise me if Michael is the same when hes not public facing.
Cards need to hold off on the KM signing until they see how he plays w/o a top notch WR1. I think, it’s going to be an ugly 6 weeks for them.
We already know how he’s going to play w/o a top notch WR1. Take a look at the record after Hopkins got hurt last season. It wasn’t pretty.
But isn’t the reason the price is so high for WR1s right now that they’re seen as a necessity for even a high level QB to thrive?
(And also because Steve Keim won one trade and then dramatically reset the price of WR1s. All roads lead to Steve Keim being a liability.)
Your first comment is spot on and with QBs getting monster contracts a domino effect among the other positions was inevitable. If Keim hadn’t started the snowball rolling then someone else would have.
Dont pay your QB if he doesnt have an elite WR? Thank GOD youre not an NFL GM
Why are you so defensive, Ugh?
Just a Cardinals fan whos fed up with everyone hatin on em. No one else gonna defend em so I will
PFR actually out here reporting that if a professional athlete sucks their career will be in jeopardy?
I thought that was established a long time ago.
BREAKING NEWS: Water is wet
What is your point, exactly? That they shouldn’t report anything? I’m not understanding your frustration here.
I dont know, I was expecting actual rumors. Not some article about Albert Breers thoughts on what happens to underperforming athletes.
I would think that those qualify as rumors, no?
Rumors that if an athlete doesnt perform their career is in jeopardy?
Nah, not a rumor, just the nature of professional sports.
What you’re saying is true, but it’s not the only thing to think about. When you consider it, there are certain players that manage to keep some sense of job security because of their contract, other roster deficiencies, or their past history. J.J. Watt in 2022 is an example, for instance. Big Ben last year kept his job without any real consideration of pulling him, due to the state of the roster around him and the other QB options. Even Tom Brady, in his last year with New England, was not a top ten QB performance wise, but to suggest that he was ever in any danger of losing his starting job or being cut for performance. It doesn’t have to be a starting job, either. Albert Haynesworth was so expensive that his roster spot had to be kept just to get something for the money.
Some athletes have other factors that give them a little protection. Hopkins has such a history of elite play that the prospect of losing him is newsworthy. His job is assumed right now by most to be safe, even if more is expected from him. If he were released today, I think that you could expect it to be headline news.
This has 2-4 browns green flags.
had to read this so many times , but I got there eventually….long day
Hopkins just following the leader of the team GM “ give me one more for road” Keim. How do you expect your employees to perform when you are a drunkard yourself.
Most employees care about their paycheck and not the character of the company boss. Henry Ford was a strong supporter of Hitler and the Nazi reich but do you think the assembly line workers were concerned?
Dude made a mistake not following the TB12 method.
Remember when the Texans were unreasonable for wanting to part with Hopkins and for not wanting to initially trade a guy they just signed in Watson?
The Texans still made an unbelievably stupid trade when they got rid of Hopkins. This does not change that.
Future in doubt? I don’t see that at all? Why? Because he’s been suspended? This is an every month experience in the NFL. PED use? This too is as common as beer sold at games? Even if a team cuts him there’s always another team willing to give suspended players another chance? So, future in doubt?