Arizona Cardinals superstar DeAndre Hopkins has cheekily stated that he does not want to be traded to the New York Jets or New England Patriots.
It comes as trade talks are heating up surrounding a move for Hopkins, with the NFL Draft now less than two weeks away. The Cardinals are likely wanting to move the wide receiver prior to the draft, in order to acquire compensation in the form of picks for this year as they rebuild their team.
The expectation was that the 30-year-old will be traded before the start of the 2023 season, however it’s not looking too likely that the Cardinals will get the price they were hoping for, with the market seemingly low after suffering two injuries in the past two years.
Although he did only feature in nine games last season, Hopkins still had incredibly high production levels, with Hopkins 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns on the year.
The Jets were one team who were said to be interested in acquiring him after missing out on Odell Beckham Jr, who joined the Baltimore Ravens. However, Hopkins found a way to say he does not want to join the Jets, or the Patriots, without actually saying it.
In an interview with CBS Sports, he was ask to use body language to answer on whether or not he'd like to be traded to that team. When asked about the Jets and Patriots, Hopkins looked away in displeasure, as if to say he has no interest in joining them. And when asked about the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs nodded his head and smiled to the camera.
Hopkins has been one of the better wide receivers in the league over the last seven years, but is yet to make a deep play off run during his time with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals.
The superstar wide receiver has yet to be play with a truly elite quarterback, and is clearly looking for that this off-season as he enters the final years of his prime.
The Cardinals are said to want at least a second-round pick in order to move on from the star receiver, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler stating that the team are firm on getting “a Christian McCaffrey package” - meaning a second-rounder and another pick.
It's something that both the Chiefs and Bills are sure to consider, with both clearly knowing that they are in their Super Bowl window, with Hopkins potentially being a number one option for their quarterbacks.
