Arizona Cardinals waiting for trade to be made official

The Arizona Cardinals would like to learn sometime before the upcoming draft that the DeAndre Hopkins trade is a done deal

Ever since the NFL’s new league year began on March 16th, fans of the Arizona Cardinals have been on cloud nine. The deal that brought wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the desert has many of the franchise’s followers thinking Super Bowl championship. Amid all of that excitement, however, lies the possibility that the best trade in Cards history could be nullified.

Thanks primarily to the coronavirus that has overtaken the world, the agreement that delivered the sensational Hopkins to Arizona has yet to be made official. Both running back David Johnson (who was dealt to the Houston Texans) and the four-time Pro Bowl wideout have had their physicals put on hold. Johnson has suffered knee, wrist, back and ankle injuries over the past several seasons, so there’s no guarantee that the ball-carrier will be deemed healthy when he does get examined.

There’s also some concern that Houston’s Bill O’Brien could try to find an excuse to void the trade. The Texans head coach/general manager has been lambasted for participating in a pact that appears to be so incredibly lopsided for the Cardinals. Is there a chance that O’Brien could succumb to the immense criticism, and attempt to insist that the 28-year old Johnson is damaged goods?

If that kind of bad fortune was to come Arizona’s way, it would benefit the club’s front office to find out about it as soon as possible. Keim and the Cards currently hold the eighth-overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. The organization could look to target a pass-catcher like Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb in the opening round if the deal that landed them Hopkins did happen to get canceled.

Houston did make an acquisition this past Thursday that could indicate that they’re through with Hopkins. O’Brien sent a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round selection. That transaction, coupled with the signing of free agent Randall Cobb, could conceivably mean that Hopkins is no longer in the Texans plans.

During a press conference this past Monday, Kliff Kingsbury expressed confidence that Hopkins will officially become a Cardinal before the draft takes place later this month. According to the head coach, the medical field simply has “bigger fish to fry” at the present time. One thing’s for certain, everyone who follows the Cards will rest much easier when Hopkins is 100 percent ours.