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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will be without his best target for the first six games of the 2022 season after DeAndre Hopkins received a suspension from the NFL.
Earlier today, Murray addressed the suspension and responded to a tweet from Hopkins. Murray messaged:
" Hop's character has never been in question... we got you family"
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Yesterday, Hopkins posted a lengthy Tweet in response to the suspension. Here's what he had to say:
"In my 10-year NFL career, I have never tested positive for using performance enhancing drugs. To learn that my November test came back with trace elements of a banned substance, I was confused and shocked. I am very mindful of what I put in my body and I have always taken a holistic approach, so I am working with my team to investigate how this could've happened."
He continued:
"But even as careful as I have been, clearly I wasn't careful enough. For that, I apologize to Cardinals fans, my teammates, and the entire Cardinals organization, I never want to let my team down. I fully intend to get to the bottom of this. As soon as I have more information, I will share it."
Deandre Hopkins will miss the first six game of the season and lose pay
His season ended prematurely last year due to a torn MCL. The wide receiver was originally expected to make his return to the field in week one, but will now have to wait until the seventh game of the season for his return.
Hopkins will lose a total of $5.223 million this season during his six-game suspension. The wide receiver will lose $2.21 million of his $6.65 million base salary, $1.83 million out of his $5.5 million bonus signing allocation, and $1.183 million of his roster bonus conversion.
More importantly, the Cardinals will be without their best playmaker to start the season. In his first season with Arizona in 2020, the wide receiver recorded 115 receptions for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. That year, he made the second-team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl.
The wide receiver group will be led by newly acquired Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore and Andy Isabella, with help from tight-ends Zach Ertz and rookie Trey McBride.
The Cardinals went 11-6 last season before losing in the wildcard round to future champions the Los Angeles Rams. The final score was 11-34, a disappointing performance from Arizona when it mattered the most.
They will be looking to rebound this year and push further into the playoffs. What's certain is that this suspension makes those ambitions far more difficult to achieve.
