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The Dallas Cowboys do not appear overly eager to make a run at recently released star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy made his first public comments addressing the Hopkins rumors indicating that the team is content with their current group of wideouts while also praising the star.
“I’ll say this, obviously being on offense full-time I really do like the look of our group,” McCarthy told reporters on June 1, 2023. “The vertical speed, we’ve made some improvement there and obviously we’re not in any full speed type activities, outside of seven-on-seven, so you can feel that from our guys. But yeah, as far as players that are not here, there’s nothing good that comes out of those answers.
“Hops [is] a hell of a talent. I had a chance to be around his first Pro Bowl, so I’ve always had respect for him since his rookie year.”
The Cowboys Appear to Have Faith in Michael Gallup Bouncing Back as the Team’s WR3
This is a remarkably different approach than the one the Cowboys took when Odell Beckham Jr. was a free agent last season. McCarthy was among the members of the team that went out of his way to praise Beckham and indicate the team had an interest in adding the playmaker.
The Cowboys find themselves in a different situation after trading for speedy receiver Brandin Cooks earlier this offseason. When Dallas met with Beckham, the initial idea was that the star would be an in-season addition before it was revealed that the former Pro Bowler was not ready to suit up.
As for Hopkins, Dallas’ potential pursuit of the star wideout likely depends on how much faith the team still has in Gallup. The Cowboys receiver revealed that his knee did not feel at full strength during last season after spending the offseason recovering from an ACL injury.
“You go out there, you want to play like you always play,” Gallup remarked during a May 18 interview with DallasCowboys.com. “You know how you’re supposed to play. That didn’t happen for me last year. I was thinking too much. My knee was feeling sore and it was just different.”
NFL Rumors: DeAndre Hopkins Wants to Match Odell Beckham Jr.’s New $15 Million Deal
Ezekiel Elliott had a post-June 1 release designation which means the Cowboys gained more than $10 million in cap space this month. This does not necessarily mean the team will make another splashy move as some of this money will likely be used to sign players to extensions with Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb’s futures looming large.
It remains to be seen how much money Hopkins will command with his next deal. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated that Odell Beckham Jr.’s new $15 million salary with the Ravens set the floor in Hopkins’ mind for his next contract. Beckham’s signing with Baltimore complicated the Chiefs’ ability to land Hopkins.
“Kansas City made progress toward a deal, but things went a little sideways when Odell Beckham Jr. got $15 million in base pay from Baltimore, making Hopkins feel like he should land at least that much, given that Beckham didn’t play last year,” Breer detailed on May 30.
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