Bills Trade Proposal Lands $54 Million WR for ‘Pennies on the Dollar’

The Buffalo Bills emerged as one of the top suitors to trade for Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins, an incredibly exciting development since the franchise is in need of a solid WR2 behind Stefon Diggs, and the veteran would make a great fit. However, several weeks have passed and there’s been no forward motion of Hopkins going anywhere.

With the market for the five-time Pro Bowler going “ice cold,” Bleacher Report‘s Alex Kay suggests the Bills could land the former first-round pick from the 2013 NFL draft for “pennies on the dollar” in a superstar trade.

While the Bills could look to acquire a playmaker through the 2023 NFL draft, ESPN‘s Matt Miller wrote that it’s “very possible” Buffalo trades up from the No. 27 overall pick, Kay believes the team would be better off “using that capital to acquire a more proven talent” like Hopkins, who despite his age, still has the potential to be one of the league’s top wideouts.

Kay suggests the Bills can acquire Hopkins from the Cardinals in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick (No 91. overall), a far cry from the “Christian McCaffery package” Arizona was asking for last month, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, an asking price which analysts universally panned.

“The Bills should try to turn the No. 91 overall pick into a three-time All-Pro wideout who could take their high-powered offense to another level. If Hopkins returns to form, this move could help finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo,” Kay wrote.

“The 6’1″, 212-pound pass-catcher has been limited to only 19 games over the last two years because of injuries and a performance-enhancing-drug suspension, but he still managed to catch 11 touchdowns in that span. He looked great as recently as November before Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray went down for the year with a torn ACL.
.. Landing with a contender like Buffalo could rejuvenate Hopkins’ career as he enters his age-31 campaign.”

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‘Highly Likely’ a Trading Team Would Rework Hopkins’ $54 Million Contract

While the cost to land Hopkins in trade won’t cost too much, managing the $19.45 million he’s owed for the 2023 NFL season, and the $14.92 million he’s due in 2024, would be an issue not just for Buffalo, but any interested team.

CBS Sports analyst Jared Dubin, in an interview with former Cardinals general manager Steve Keim, wrote that while “that’s extremely affordable for a player of his caliber… it seems highly likely that a trading team would want to rework the deal in some form or have the Cardinals pick up part of the tab for his salary.”

Keim agreed. “They’re probably going to have to come to understand that they’re probably not going to get as much as they would if he was a younger player or his contract was considerably lower, where you could get him for a second-round (pick),” the former GM said. “It could end up being a second- or third-day draft pick to really get it done. Probably (need to) get a new deal done.”

According to Spotrac.com, the Bills have approximately $6.5 million in cap space, a bulk of which needs to be reserved for the draft, so reworking Hopkins’ $54.5 million deal would be crucial.

Spotrac.com tweeted that “a full cap conversion” along with three void years “can lower his $19.45 cap hit” to a much more manageable $4.8 million for the 2023 NFL season, and could get creative with his 2024 salary. Hopkins ultimately may be willing to take a pay cut to come to the Bills. On March 22, he shared a photo of himself on his Instagram Stories with Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” playing in the background.

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Hopkins May Skip Voluntary Workouts in Arizona

SI insider Albert Breer reported on April 1 that the Cardinals could end up releasing Hopkins if they are unable to find a trade partner, and the situation in Arizona seems to have gotten more fraught as the receiver skipped voluntary workouts in Tempe on Tuesday, April 11.

When head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked if Hopkins will eventually show up, “We’ll see,” he said, per ESPN‘s Josh Weinfuss. “I’ve been in communication with D-Hop and I want to do what’s best for him and us at the same time. So, when he’s ready to come, he’ll come, and improve his game, too.”

Weinfuss reported that while the Cardinals were working out as a team, Hopkins simultaneously live-streamed his workout at a separate gym. NBC Sports Edge read between the lines. The outlet surmised, “The Cardinals moving on from Hopkins has felt pre-ordained since Gannon and [new general manager] Monti Ossenfort were hired, the question has always been what they’d get back in a trade — if they can complete a trade at this point. It sounds like Hopkins not showing up in Arizona is on the table.”

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