26 May 2023 , 21:59
426
0
DeAndre Hopkins has broken his silence after it was announced that he had been released by the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFC West franchise released a statement on Friday confirming that Hopkins had been released following three years at the State Farm Stadium. The 30-year-old was traded to the Cardinals from the Houston Texans in 2020, but is now a free agent.
After being the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Hopkins was traded to the Cardinals with the Texans receiving a second round pick and a fourth round pick. Now, though, after the Cardinals tried to trade the wide receiver, he is now a free agent and able to speak to potential new teams straight away.
Hours after it was confirmed that Hopkins had been released by the Cardinals, the receiver posted a tweet where he said thank you to the franchise. On Twitter, Hopkins wrote: “THANK YOU AZ ALWAYS LOVE!"
The news that Hopkins has been released by the Cardinals is likely to lead to a number of teams with room left on their salary cap to make a move. The , , and are just some of the teams all likely to be interested.
Joe Burrow backs Patrick Mahomes after Kansas City Chiefs reach Super Bowl
Hopkins recently appeared on the IAmAthlete podcast, where he appeared to aim a subtle dig at the Cardinals. "What I want is stable management upstairs," Hopkins added.
DeAndre Hopkins #10 was released by the Arizona Cardinals after it was announced on Friday (Michael Owens/Getty Images)"I think that’s something I haven’t really had the past couple years of my career coming from Houston (Texans) to being in Arizona. I’ve been through three to four GMs through my career. So stable management — a QB who loves the game. A QB who brings everybody on board with him and pushes not just himself, but people around him. I don’t need a great QB. I’ve done it with subpar QBs — just a QB who loves the game like I do."
Hopkins’ remarks about quarterbacks may have been interpreted as him talking about Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. Hopkins then clarified his position on his now-former team mate and was rather careful with his words.
"I think Kyler is a quarterback who loves the game as well," said Hopkins. "But he’s injured. So right now, for me, I’m playing with Colt McCoy, who I love. So who knows? Right now, I don’t have a Pro Bowl quarterback."
Over the course of his NFL career, Hopkins has been selected for the Pro Bowl five times and had close to 11,300 receiving yards with 71 touchdowns. A number of teams across the NFL are likely to be already weighing up whether to make a move for the veteran wide receiver.