Arizona Cardinals: No, Brandin Cooks trade did not affect DeAndre Hopkins’ value

There have been claims outside Arizona Cardinals circles that the Brandin Cooks trade will affect DeAndre Hopkins’ value.

Of course, the second I make a final prediction on where DeAndre Hopkins is going to go, the Dallas Cowboys decided to trade for another receiver. See, this is why I’m not fond of making predictions - happens to me all the time. Anyway, Dallas could still technically trade for the Arizona Cardinals star receiver, but I’m not holding my breath. 

However, I did come across a claim that, because the Cowboys gave up such cheap compensation for Brandin Cooks, a 2023 fifth-rounder and a 2024 sixth-rounder, and that Houston will pick up a significant portion of Cooks’ contract, that it diminishes Hopkins’ trade value. 

Why are there claims like this going on? Some in the sports media believe there is a short gap in productivity between Cooks and Hopkins. But the 2022 numbers tell a different story. 

Last season, Cooks hauled in 57 catches, while Hopkins snagged 64. Sort of identical, right? So what’s the problem? Cooks played in 13 contests, averaging 4.4 catches per, while Hopkins hit 7.1 per. Yeah, that’s a not-so narrow gap, is it?

Arizona Cardinals receiver carries far more value than Brandin Cooks

Cooks and Hopkins both had three touchdown receptions, but once again, Hopkins played in fewer games. Hopkins’ catch percentage was 5.4% higher than Cooks’, and Hopkins’ 79.7 yards per game was nearly 26 yards higher than Cooks’. Are we having fun yet?

Oh, and Hopkins had 35 first down receptions in 2022, averaging nearly 4 per game. Cooks had 29, or 2.2 per game. So is the gap in production narrowing between the two? I don’t think so. 

That said, the claim that a) Cooks has closed the gap on Hopkins is erroneous, so therefore, b) since Cooks went for a bargain, Hopkins probably will too since the former closed the gap on the latter, is also erroneous. 

As it stands, general manager Monti Ossenfort is rightfully standing pat on his price for Hopkins. Although he’s played in just 19 games over the past two seasons, Hopkins has had 106 catches, 1,289 yards, and 11 touchdowns. So yeah, that’s pretty productive. 

While Cooks did have a great season in 2021, his production dropped substantially in 2022. As for Hopkins, the opposite was true, minus his number of touchdown catches. And he did all that with four different quarterbacks at the helm. That’s no easy task. 

Source: The Arizona Cardinals Are The Real Losers Of The Brandin Cooks Trade by John Vaccaro, BroBible.com.