The Arizona Cardinals are looking towards the future, evidenced with the release of DeAndre Hopkins — leaving the franchise without a No. 1 wide receiver for 2023. The Cardinals acquired Hopkins to be the No. 1 wide receiver for Kyler Murray, helping the former No. 1 overall pick grow into one of the best quarterbacks in football. 

Early returns were worth the investment, as Hopkins amassed 115 catches for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns in his first year in Arizona. Injuries and a six-game suspension took over the past two seasons, as Hopkins had 106 catches for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns in 19 games.

Hopkins is still one of the game's best receivers despite not having a 1,000-yard season since 2020, as the Cardinals were clearly a better team when he was on the field than when he was off it. Arizona was 18-17 in the 35 games Hopkins played and 17-14 when Hopkins played with Murray at quarterback. The Cardinals were 5-10 in the 15 games Hopkins didn't play. 

With a new general manager (Monti Ossenfort) and new head coach (Jonathan Gannon) in the fold, the Cardinals are looking to rebuild the franchise from the errors of the previous regime. Part of the restructuring involved moving on from Hopkins and taking a dead cap hit for 2023 so they could have a fresh start for 2024.