On March 9, Adam Schefter reported that there was a real chance that the Vikings were likely going to release veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen this offseason due to his $20 million cap hit for the upcoming season. According to Benjamin Solak of The Ringer, the Vikings may already have his replacement.
No, Solak is not talking about ascending third-year receiver K.J. Osborn. He is instead talking about Arizona Cardinals All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins is known to NFL fans as being one of the game’s best at his position during his prime. Drafted by the Houston Texans in 2013, Hopkins was a perennial All-Pro during his time with the team before being traded to Arizona in 2020. Hopkins recorded a 115-catch, 1,407 yard campaign during his first year with the Cardinals, before injuries and a suspension limited him in the following two seasons.
Despite catching eight touchdowns in 2021, Hopkins only produced 42 catches for 572 yards as he was limited to ten games due to injury. Last season, Hopkins only played in nine games due to a suspension and more injuries, and while he recorded 64 catches for 717 yards, he was largely ineffective during his post-suspension time. 262 of his total yards on the season came during his first two weeks back, and Hopkins only recorded 455 yards the rest of the way.
It would not make sense for the Vikings to acquire Hopkins, who at this point is becoming more brand than actual player. After a 12-catch, 159-yard outing against the Vikings in Week 8, Hopkins failed to top 98 yards the rest of the way and only had 10 or more catches once. Since 2021, Hopkins has only played in 19 games. For what it’s worth, despite his ineffectiveness, Thielen has played 31 games in that same span.
Another reason why the Vikings should not acquire Hopkins is because they are transitioning to a youth movement on offense, and Hopkins and Thielen are the same player. They are both aging, injury-prone veterans with hefty cap hits. Hopkins is due to make $19.5 million this season, and his cap hit will be $30 million barring a restructure. If the main reason the Vikings are likely moving off Thielen is due to his $20 million cap hit, why take on a higher profile name with a cap hit that is $10 million greater?
Another thing of note is that the Vikings cannot afford to trade for Hopkins right now. The team only has five draft picks, and given the defensive holes that they need to fix, they cannot afford to surrender a draft pick for yet another offensive player.
While trading for Hopkins will likely come cheap for any team willing to acquire him, the Vikings cannot afford him. They need to hang on to the draft capital they have now, cannot afford to take on his hefty salary unless he can take a pay cut, and it would just overall not make sense to acquire a veteran receiver when the whole point of them moving off Thielen is to make the receiver room younger and to free up salary cap space. A receiver room of Hopkins, Justin Jefferson, and Osborn would be exciting, but it is not worth it in the long term and the team has bigger needs to address.
