Four weeks ago, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said he wasn’t sure whether wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would be back in Arizona this season. Gannon still doesn’t know for sure, but he is currently planning to have Hopkins on his team in 2023.
Gannon told Steve Wyche of NFL Network that he’s thinking about coaching Hopkins, not trading him.
“I’m operating that he’s a Cardinal right now,” Gannon said. “So, I’m looking forward to getting in the meeting room and on the field with him and seeing where it can go. I just know he’s an elite player. Being a defensive guy, I had to go up against him a couple times in the division. The challenges that he presents. I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Of course, the “right now” in Gannon’s comment means that could change, and it could change any time between now and the start of the season. Trading Hopkins could make sense both for a Cardinals team that appears to be at the start of a rebuilding effort, and for Hopkins, a veteran who doesn’t have many good years left. Even if that’s not what Gannon is planning on right now.