New Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon cringed at the word “rebuild” on Friday and said “we’re here to win football games.”
But if the Cardinals trade two of their biggest-name -- and best -- players, it will be a clear signal that they indeed are in rebuild mode. Like it or not.
Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker has requested a trade, something General Manager Monti Ossenfort addressed Friday. Receiver DeAndre Hopkins recently indicated he’d like to play for the Bills or the Chiefs, but not the Jets or the Patriots.
Hopkins remains under contract with the Cardinals and may or may not want a raise (he does) after tweeting and then deleting he doesn’t need one.
He is scheduled to make $19.45 million in 2023 and $14.915 million in 2024, and no team is likely to give him a raise. Hopkins is on the wrong side of 30, has played 19 games and missed 15 with injuries and a suspension over the past two seasons and has not had a 1,000-yard season or made the Pro Bowl since 2020.
So, do the Cardinals accept less in compensation than they want, and will Hopkins accept less than he wants to facilitate a deal? We likely will find out at some point before the end of next weekend’s draft.
“It’s similar to the Budda conversation,” Ossenfort said Friday, via video from Bo Brack of PHNX_Cardinals. “I’ve had a lot of interaction with Hop. He’s been great. Good discussions back and forth. As it pertains to his situation, I’m going to keep those discussions those [in-house] as well. Hop’s proven to be a good player in this league, and he’s obviously a very talented player. Productive conversations with Hop, but going to keep those between us.”
