Salary ramfications of DeAndre Hopkins suspension revealed

Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will lose a total of $5.2 million for the six-game suspension he is set to serve to begin the 2022 NFL season following a positive finding of performance enhancing drugs in his system after his latest random drug test.

At a base rate of $6.65 million, Hopkins will lose 33 percent of his salary for the season, equal to $2.21 million, according to PFT’s Mike Florio. He will also lose 33 percent of his 2022 signing-bonus allocation of $5.5 million, which is equal to $1.83 million. On top of that, the conversion of Hopkins’ $10.65 million roster bonus due in March 2022 to a guaranteed payment means that the Pro Bowl wideout will lose another 33 percent, this time equaling a loss of $1.183 million.

The suspension also voids his guaranteed salary for 2022, allowing the Cardinals to cut him with no further financial obligation, though it wouldn’t be likely the Cardinals front office would go so far, yet. Hopkins also has a $2.25 million option-bonus allocation, but that money wasn’t paid this year, therefore it is not subject to forfeiture regarding his suspension.

Luckily for Arizona, the Cardinals acquired wide receiver Hollywood Brown from the Baltimore Ravens during the 2022 NFL Draft. During his three seasons with the franchise, Brown reeled in 195 catches for 2,361 receiving yards, while hauling in 21 touchdowns and will be a major help for quarterback Kyler Murray, who played with Brown at Oklahoma, without his No. 1 target.

Rondale Moore and A.J. Green round out the starting lineup for the Cardinals, at least for the first six games barring the emergence of a surprise star or a trade.

Hopkins’ Brand Manager Doug Sanders released a statement on the situation via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, saying everyone involved with the wide receiver is “shocked” by the positive drug test and will be looking to prove Hopkins did not take a banned substance despite pulling the initial appeal.

“Today the NFL announced their decision to suspend DeAndre Hopkins as a result of a November drug test that came back with trace elements of banned substances,” Sanders said. “DeAndre and everyone who works with him is completely shocked by this finding because he is extremely diligent about what he puts in his body. 

“His October and December tests were negative and we were investigating how the November test came back positive. DeAndre is committed to demonstrating that he did not knowingly take a banned substance. He has never tested positive throughout his 10-year career. We’re currently testing every product he used to figure out how this could have happened and will release any new information as we have it.”