I'm guessing Hopkins was a threat to hold out for a monster contract, which I assume the Cardinals are prepared to give him. I'm in absolutely NO way defending this trade or saying it is at all favorable to the Diggs one (since in part Hopkins had I think 3 more years on his current contract and is arguably the top WR in the league at the moment), but it's of course not as simple as comparing their ages and production.
That said, it's a failing of the organization that they have not been able to retain Duane Brown, Jadeveon Clowney, and now DeAndre Hopkins (and maybe D.J. Reader, who is off to Cincinnati)... team leaders who did deserve to be paid. It's sends a poor and recurring message to the rest of roster, namely Deshaun Watkins.
J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus seem to buck that trend, but they are proving to be the exception here.
|