4 reasons the NY Giants should pass on signing DeAndre Hopkins

Ever since his release from the Arizona Cardinals, DeAndre Hopkins' name has been tied to the NY Giants more than ever.

When the initial reports came out that Hopkins was being shopped by the Arizona Cardinals earlier in the offseason, many had envisioned trade scenarios involving the Giants for Hopkins because they were seen as a team that made sense for him.

However, not only did the Giants not make the trade for Hopkins, nobody in the NFL did, as the Cardinals ended up releasing the veteran receiver on Friday, ending a three-year stint with the team. Since the release, Giants fans are now envisioning the idea of having Hopkins in blue and catching passes from Daniel Jones even more because draft picks are no longer in play for Hopkins, only money.

We suggested why the Giants should make a run for Hopkins and why they should get him to East Rutherford. This will be the flip side to that, which might irritate the fan base who might be trying to pre-order a Hopkins jersey in Giants blue. This will be why the Giants should pass on pursuing Hopkins:

4. DeAndre Hopkins age

Hopkins was once traded in his career, as he went from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals. At the time, he was 27 years old. That was also during the 2020 offseason. Which means Hopkins is now 30 years old; almost 31 now. If you notice the Giants roster, it's gotten younger since Joe Schoen has taken over as the general manager.

Long gone is adding the aging veterans that Dave Gettleman used to bring in. Granted, none of those veterans were at the skill level of Hopkins. But at almost age 31, Hopkins is getting towards the point of his career where you start to see a bit of a decline and dip in production.

Given what Hopkins might want in a possible deal, is it wise for the Giants to invest that kind of money for a player who could be on the decline? Especially since the Giants just witnessed the decline of another veteran wide receiver that they invested a lot of money into and resulted in poor production?

Had this been the 2020 offseason when Hopkins was still 27 going on 28 years old, then this is an entirely different discussion and maybe the Giants pursue harder. But it isn't.

3. Lack of money for the NY Giants

The Giants are a bit thin when it comes to salary cap space, as they are listed at having $3.8 million in space, according to Over the Cap. Now, the Giants could create some cap space if they were able to re-work some deals, such as signing Saquon Barkley to the long-term deal everyone is hoping for and lowering the $10.01 million the current franchise tag would give him.

The Giants could also either extend Adoree' Jackson, or convert some of Jackson's salary into a signing bonus, which was a recent idea of Pat Traina of Sports Illustrated.The Giants could also get creative and try to sign Hopkins to a long-term deal and make his cap number for 2023 extremely low and fit under the current salary cap. Whether that's possible or not is something for the Giants front office and cap experts in East Rutherford to figure out.

But let's say Hopkins is looking for a deal similar to what Odell Beckham Jr. got with the Baltimore Ravens, which was around the $15-18 million per season range. Can the Giants afford that, even if they shuffled some deals around some contracts and money?

Given that was what Hopkins was making with the Cardinals and the Giants decided to pass on trading draft assets for him, plus assuming the rest of the contract Hopkins was under with the Cardinals, it would be a safe bet that the Giants weren't and may not be looking to pay that.

2. Signing DeAndre Hopkins would negatively impact the future

With the idea of a possible acquisition of Hopkins for the Giants, it would make for a clear path that he would be the clear No. 1 option at wide receiver.

His command of the ball in the offense likely takes away from potential targets from young receivers like Jalin Hyatt, the third-round pick of the Giants in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton, the undrafted free agent (UDFA) signing during the weekend of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Giants already have brought back Darius Slayton, who has been Daniel Jones' most consistent and productive wide receiver since 2019. They also signed Parris Campbell, who when healthy, is also a viable option. They also have Wan'Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard returning from injuries, although if and when they will be available remains to be seen.

Then there's the emergence of Isaiah Hodgins, who in the second half of the 2022 season, became the most productive receiver on the Giants and was a big reason why the Giants were able to make the playoffs and won their NFC Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings. Eight catches, 105 yards and one touchdown for Hodgins vs. the Vikings was awesome to see.

Hodgins is expected to get better and build off that productive 2022 season. And not to mention, the Giants also traded for Darren Waller, who while being a tight end, plays like a wide receiver and is a deep threat like a wide receiver. So with all that said, those options likely have potential catches and targets taken away with someone like Hopkins here.

And because of what Kenny Golladay did to many of the fans around this team, you'd really have to wonder what version of Hopkins the Giants would be getting? Is it the Hopkins who can still put up those dominant seasons in his prime, or is it the 31-year-old WR whose decline has begun? Is that really a chance the Giants can afford to take?

1. Do the Giants and Hopkins have interest in one another?

When Hopkins spoke publicly about what teams might interest him because of their quarterback, the Giants and Daniel Jones were not mentioned;

So here is the question; does Hopkins even want to play for the Giants? Sure, the fans want Hopkins to play for the Giants. He would be the bonafide, defacto, No. 1 wide receiver on the depth chart and would give the Giants another option in the offense for Jones and Brian Daboll.

But unlike being traded to the Giants and being told where you are going to play for, Hopkins is now a free agent. There is no guarantee that Hopkins has the Giants on his radar. Now, should the Giants at least inquire and have Joe Schoen perform his due diligence? Of course. Any smart GM worth his money would do so with a player like Hopkins available.

But, you also have to wonder if Schoen himself is interested in Hopkins as well. After all, the Giants didn't pursue a trade for Hopkins and instead, signed free agents, traded up in the draft to land a wide receiver and also traded for a veteran tight end.

Does Schoen really want Hopkins for the Giants? And does Hopkins want the Giants? That remains the true mystery and if Hopkins recent interview says anything, it might be that he doesn't.

READ MORE: 4 reasons DeAndre Hopkins should sign with the NY Giants