Getty The Bears may pursue a wide receiver on the 2023 target market to get Justin Fields a verified No. 1 target.
The Chicago Bears now have an idea of what it would take to trade for Arizona Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason.
According to longtime NFL insider Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily, the Cardinals are looking for “at least a second-round pick and a conditional pick” from any team that is looking to acquire Hopkins this offseason. Jurecki also said the Cardinals have set the trade “parameters” based on current offers they have to secure his services.
Hopkins is projected to be one of the top NFL wide receivers on the move in 2023 with a thin upcoming free agent class at the position that includes Jakobi Meyers and Allen Lazard are two of the top available talents. While the five-time All-Pro selection missed eight games in 2022 between his six-game suspension and a late-season injury, he still finished with 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns — both higher marks than any of the Bears this past season — over his nine games for the Cardinals.
Meanwhile, the Bears could be on the hunt for a veteran No. 1 wide receiver in the coming weeks, and given the lackluster options available in free agency, the trade market could be their best bet for adding a verified weapon to Justin Fields’ arsenal. Would general manager Ryan Poles be willing to pay such a high price to get Hopkins when, currently, the Bears only have two picks in the first two rounds of the draft?
DeAndre Hopkins Willing to be ‘Flexible’ With Trade Team
Hopkins’ impressive career resume should be enough to pique the interest of any team looking to acquire a veteran wide receiver for the 2023 season. Over his decade of work as an NFL pass-catcher, he has hauled in 853 passes for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns with more than 1,000 receiving yards in six of those seasons. He also only missed two games in his first eight seasons, suggesting concerns about his injury issues over the past two years might be overblown.
The biggest obstacle for a team interested in acquiring Hopkins is his expensive contract. Hopkins has two years remaining on the extension he signed with the Cardinals in September 2020 and is set to carry cap hits of about $29.98 million and $25.45 million in 2023 and 2024, respectively, which is a hefty amount for any wide receiver — especially one who will be turning 31 in just a few months.
Fortunately, Hopkins seems to understand his situation amid trade talks. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the veteran playmaker is willing to be “flexible” with the final two years of his contract instead of chasing a top-of-the-market deal. In other words, don’t count on his next team having to commit to his enormous 2023 cap hit.
Cardinals’ Asking Price Might Be Too Rich for Bears
There’s no denying the Bears could use a proven veteran talent like Hopkins in their offense. Even with Hopkins on the way out of his prime, he would be a significant passing target for Fields and could help clear the way for better production from fourth-year wideouts Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool next season. Unfortunately, it is hard to imagine the Bears parting ways with their lone second-round pick for him, especially not if the Cardinals want an additional pick or player along with it.
The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and are largely expected to trade down for additional assets to better build their roster for next season. Even if they acquire another second-rounder or two in the exchange, though, it seems unlikely that Poles will trade yet another second-round pick for a wide receiver after already doing so at last year’s trade deadline to get Claypool. A more sensible route would be sinking one of those post-trade picks into one of the rookies in the 2023 draft class.