National Football League

Hopkins Receives The Bag

Updated Sep. 8, 2020 4:49 p.m. ET

The Arizona Cardinals haven't had to pay young quarterback Kyler Murray quite yet, so instead, they're paying his newest weapon, DeAndre Hopkins.

They're paying him a lot.

Hopkins spent the first seven years of his career with the Houston Texans, before the franchise traded the superstar wide receiver to Arizona in March for running back David Johnson, a second round pick and a fourth rounder in 2021.

Now, Hopkins becomes the not only the game's top-paid wideout – that title previously belonged to Atlanta's Julio Jones – but the highest-paid player in NFL history not playing under center.

Hopkins took to Twitter to celebrate.

Despite dropping a massive amount of money in the pocket of its newest offensive star, there are safeguards in place for Arizona if they choose to move off Hopkins and his contract next season.

Since entering the league in 2013, Hopkins has been a star. He's eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in five of his seven seasons, and he put up 1,521 and 1,572 receiving yards in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Hopkins is a 4-time Pro Bowler and has been named First Team All-Pro in each of the last three seasons.

Arguably the most impressive statistic from the 27-year-old Hopkins' resume is the fact that he's only missed two games in his entire professional career, starting all 16 games in five seasons and starting 15 games in two seasons.

Hopkins' 1,165 receiving yards this past season ranked 11th best in the NFL, but he finished second in receiving yards in 2018, fourth in 2017 (1,378), and third in 2015.

Tuesday marks the second time that the Cardinals have broken the bank this offseason, after the franchise made safety Budda Baker the highest-paid player at his position in league history last month.