GLENDALE, Ariz. — It’s a slow news day, so, why not? Let’s take a look at this.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins tweeted on Friday that somebody asked him at the gym if he would restructure his contract to get Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones. Hopkins included a gif of Neil Patrick Harris giving thumbs up in an old episode of “How I Met Your Mother.”
The Falcons are reportedly “shopping” Julio Jones, arguably the best receiver in the NFL (Hopkins is a part of the same conversation).
Nobody is really talking about the Cardinals being a potential trade destination for Jones. HOWEVER, the last time a high profile player was on the market and nobody was talking about him coming to the Cardinals until DeAndre Hopkins said something? J.J. Watt.
Hopkins posted a photo on Instagram in mid-February recruiting his former Houston teammate Watt with an edited photo of him in a Cardinals jersey. Up until that point, Watt’s reported potential destinations did not include Arizona.
By March 1, the Cardinals and Watt agreed to terms.
So, let’s not totally ignore Hopkins’ statement on Friday.
Hopkins’ salary cap hit is just $12.5 million in 2021 until it leaps to $25 million in 2022, $27 million in 2023.
Julio Jones in Atlanta has a cap hit of $23 million in 2021 and $19 million in 2022. Jones signed a 3-year, $66 million extension with Atlanta in 2019.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Cardinals have about $13.5 million in cap space. So, a lot would have to be done to even afford Jones. Plus, the Cardinals would likely be sacrificing a ton of draft picks.
Jones is a future Hall of Famer who will likely go down as one of the best receivers of all time along with Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, etc.
Jones, 32, played just nine games in 2020 but in 2019, he caught for nearly 1,400 yards and six touchdowns. In 2018, he led the NFL with 1,677 receiving yards and added eight touchdowns.
DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones on the same team would be, to put it lightly, a problem for every other team in the NFL, obviously.
It’s a long shot, Atlanta may not even trade him, and they’ll surely receive other offers, even if the Cardinals think they can get there with the salary cap. But Hopkins clearly wants to win. He’ll hope to help lead the Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
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