The Arizona Cardinals made a big splash this offseason when they traded for Texans star receiver DeAndre Hopkins in a deal that somehow only cost them David Johnson and a second round pick.
The All-Pro receiver offered a bridge from the Cardinals Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald to the future for young quarterback Kyler Murray, and suddenly gave Kliff Kingsbury plenty of toys to expand his passing attack in Arizona. The Texans clearly weren’t interested in giving Hopkins big money to be the top target for Deshaun Watson, but the Cardinals were more than happy to fork over big cash to the star receiver.
On Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Hopkins had negotiated a contract extension with Arizona for two years and $54.5 million, bringing his average salary over the next five to $18.8 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Sources: The #AZCardinals are making star WR DeAndre Hopkins the highest paid non-QB ever, giving him a 2-year contract extension worth $54.5M in new money — $27.25M per year. Hopkins, who did the deal himself, gets $42.75M guaranteed at signing.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2020
Arizona traded for Hopkins and he wants to make sure he stays. Sources say Hopkins got a no-trade clause and a no-franchise tag clause. A big day for the #AZCardinals. https://t.co/49A5iaced6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2020
Cardinals and WR DeAndre Hopkins are now wrapping up a contract extension, as @RapSheet said.
It’s a two-year extension that includes $42.5 million fully guaranteed, and ties Hopkins to Arizona for five years at $94 million – an $18.8 million per-year average.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2020
There’s a voidable second year on the extension, but he also gets no-trade and no-franchise tag clauses, per Rapoport, meaning he’ll have plenty of freedom in five to seek out even more money while still in his prime. The Cardinals lock down a superstar receiver for the foreseeable future to give Murray the ultimate safety net, and do so while paying Murray rookie QB money rather than big QB extension money. It’s a smart use of cap space and makes tons of football sense, and the Cardinals will hope the partnership with those two can be very fruitful.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/deandre-hopkins-arizona-cardinals-extension-54-million-record-details/