DeAndre Hopkins suspended six games for PED violation

Three days after the Arizona Cardinals made a big move by trading for former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown, I think we may have a little more knowledge as to why such a trade materialized.

DeAndre Hopkins, whom the Cardinals gleefully took from the Houston Texans just a couple of seasons ago, has been suspended for six games after testing positive for PEDs.

We don’t know what Hopkins tested positive for or if there will be an appeal (Update: The appeal was withdrawn), but for the time being Arizona’s number one receiver and one of the league’s best offensive players won’t be around for roughly one-third of the regular season.

Hopkins made an immediate impact in Arizona’s offense in 2020, catching 115 passes for over 1,400 yards and 6 touchdowns. He had an injury-riddled 2021, resulting in career lows in catches and yards in just 10 games played.

Another way to look at this from a Seattle Seahawks perspective is the possibility that he might not be available for at least one of the two divisional matchups, depending on how the schedule shapes up. This is no doubt a major blow to Arizona’s offense and now Hollywood Brown figures to be the WR1 in the short-term.