The NFL world is in shock to find out that Arizona Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins will have to sit out the first six games of the 2022 season for violating the NFL drug policy, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Cardinals’ Pro-Bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hNGNX4Aegx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2022
Schefter also added some more information concerning the Hopkins situation.
Arizona is losing DeAndre Hopkins to a six-game suspension, it lost Christian Kirk to Jacksonville during free agency, and it adds more insight into the Cardinals’ draft-day trade for former Ravens’ WR Marquise Brown.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2022
From the looks and sounds of it, the Cardinals may have known this was coming and were preparing themselves with the trade they made the other night for former Baltimore Ravens wideout Marquise Brown.
So the Cardinals didn’t get Hollywood Brown just to appease Kyler Murray after all.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) May 2, 2022
Still, this news was a stunner for many around the league.
DeAndre Hopkins: *Takes three kinds of steroids*
Also DeAndre Hopkins: We don’t know what’s in the COVID vaccine
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) May 2, 2022
This was not the news the Cardinals needed to hear going into the 2022 NFL season. The team, the coaching staff, and its players seem to be on notice that if they and head coach Kliff Kingsbury don’t get their act together, there will be some major changes made the following year.
Hopkins, who was traded from the Houston Texans back in 2020, plays a major part in this Cardinals offense and a lot is expected of him and quarterback Kyler Murray. After having over 1400 yards in 2020, Hopkins only caught eight touchdown passes and had 572 yards receiving in 2021.
It will be interesting to see how his absence will affect the Cardinals this year. Although some fans are amused by the situation.
DeAndre Hopkins being an anti-vaxxer but using PEDs is the joke that keeps writing itself.
— Kristoffer, God of Hammers (@TheBoyWhoWrote) May 2, 2022
Hollywood Brown getting new energy knowing DeAndre Hopkins won't be playing the first 6 games pic.twitter.com/jDDMW3jDEM
— Myron (@hambnjns13) May 2, 2022