3 bold trades for the Carolina Panthers to secure DeAndre Hopkins in 2023

Carolina Panthers trade offer No. 3

DeAndre Hopkins is still one of the league's best wide receivers. But the Arizona Cardinals are in the midst of an important transition and could be without star quarterback Kyler Murray for a large part of the 2023 campaign after an ACL tear after 11 games last time around. 

With only Colt McCoy as their reliable option under center currently, nobody is expecting them to mount a postseason challenge. Therefore, trading Hopkins providing they get a reasonable offer is a likely scenario. 

The Carolina Panthers might be willing to offer just that. If they pulled it off, it would offset the loss of D.J. Moore and give them a formidable wideout trio of Hopkins, Adam Thielen, and Terrace Marshall Jr. for a young rookie quarterback to lean on. 

Offering this year's third-round pick and their 2024 third-rounder - coupled with taking on more of the player's salary-cap hit - is a tempting proposition. And in all honesty, the Cardinals might not get much better than that. 

This would leave the Panthers without their first and third-rounders in 2024, but so what? They'd have their quarterback and Hopkins is still under contract until 2025 even if he isn't extended. 

The Panthers also have most of their key guys locked up long-term if deals can be reached with Jeremy Chinn and Brian Burns. Something that makes this a realistic possibility factoring everything into the equation.