New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has done a good job of upgrading the roster this offseason. After spending the majority of his first season on the job cleaning up the salary cap, New York had some money to spend in free agency this year.
Schoen added an impact linebacker in Bobby Okereke and put more weapons around quarterback Daniel Jones. Wide receivers Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder were signed away from the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills while Isaiah Hodgins, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton were all re-signed.
The biggest addition thus far in free agency for the Giants didn’t come from a signing, but a trade. Big Blue acquired tight end, Darren Waller, from the Las Vegas Raiders, adding a dynamic pass catcher to the mix. Waller will make for a nice duo with Daniel Bellinger, who had a strong rookie season.
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, Schoen will be on the lookout for a potential No. 1 wide receiver. While the Giants undoubtedly upgraded their group of pass catchers, they are lacking that true go-to option on the boundary as there are some redundant skill sets as slot receivers.
One player who could fill that gap is DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals. Hopkins is reportedly available for trade but his market has not developed as much as the Cardinals had hoped it would. Rumors have floated around that they would consider releasing him for cap space if need be.
What could a deal between the Giants and Cardinals look like? A suggested trade package would be New York sending its first-round pick, No. 25 overall and a fourth-round pick, No. 128, to Arizona in exchange for Hopkins and the No. 34 overall pick.
The Cardinals would get some salary relief by trading Hopkins and move up nine spots in the draft. For a rebuilding team, having a second first-round pick carries a lot of value. They can easily recoup the fourth-rounder being sent to the Giants as well if they trade down from the No. 3 spot with a quarterback-needy team.
For the Giants, some cap gymnastics would have to be done to fit Hopkins’ salary on their books. Re-working a deal with him or agreeing to a long-term extension with running back Saquon Barkley would both suffice.
There are some risks to acquiring Hopkins, who is 30 and has struggled to stay on the field the last two seasons, missing 15 games because of injury and a suspension. But, when able to play, he remains one of the top playmakers in the league. If the Giants want to give Jones the best chance to succeed, adding a pass catcher of Hopkins’ caliber to their offense would be a good way to achieve that.
