DeAndre Hopkins confirms Cardinals trade rumors in crystal-clear IG post

Is wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on his way out of Arizona? Rumors have been circulating in recent days that the wide receiver is the talk of many trade talks as the franchise looks to possibly start over and build for the future.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired on Monday after the Cardinals finished the season with just a 4-13 record. Quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL and is not expected to start the 2023 NFL season on time. Now, Hopkins could be on his way out.

On Wednesday morning, he took to his personal Instagram page and posted an interesting message. He posted a photo of himself on the field in an Arizona Cardinals uniform and simply wrote 'forever grateful.'

“Forever grateful…”

That ominous message has many now scratching their heads, wondering what the wide receiver could have meant by this. One could assume that he is, in fact, on his way out. He has two years remaining on his current contract with the Arizona Cardinals. But the last three seasons have been tumultuous, to say the least.

In DeAndre Hopkins' first season with the Cardinals, he caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards. But, between 2021 and 2022, a suspension for PEDs and injuries limited him to playing in just 19 games combined. The five-time Pro Bowler has over 11,000 receiving yards in his ten years in the NFL, and he appears to still have more in the tank. But Wednesday's social media post clearly allows one to believe that it won't be with the Arizona Cardinals.

Which NFL teams could trade for WR DeAndre Hopkins?

The Arizona Cardinals have apparently been considering trading wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins recently. And now it appears that the wide receiver has all but confirmed that he will be leaving the team that he has spent the last three seasons with.

But the question remains on which team will be interested in trading for him. The New York Giants, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens are all said to be interested in trading for Hopkins.

The Cardinals will likely look for draft picks in return for the wide receiver. That would help Arizona build for the future and around quarterback Kyler Murray, who they signed on a long-term contract last offseason.

Chicago currently has the number-one overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and aren't interested in drafting a quarterback since they have Justin Fields. Could the Bears be willing to trade a number-one pick for the wide receiver?

It's a risky move and unlikely, but the Bears could tinker around with other draft picks to get the wide receiver and a target for Fields.