The Cardinals' 2023 season might just as well be called the "Tank for Caleb" campaign.
Of course, per the league's rules, teams can't blatantly tank, per se, but the Cards' most recent trade shows how little the franchise cares about this upcoming season.
On Thursday, Arizona dealt versatile defender Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants for a seventh-round pick, as first reported by Adam Schefter.
Simmons, a hybrid linebacker-safety, was a former first-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2020. This offseason, Arizona declined to pick up his fifth-year option and now have offloaded him altogether for an extremely meager return.
Simmons joins Wink Martindale's defense in 2023 for an absolute steal as many fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) congratulated New York for the savvy deal.
One of those fans was ex-Cardinal DeAndre Hopkins, who is currently enjoying a much less stressful life with the Titans. Hopkins tweeted that the Giants "just got a steal" in Simmons and included two laughing face emojis. Clearly, he's a supporter of this trade -- from the Giants' perspective, that is.
DeAndre Hopkins can't believe the Cardinals traded for a seventh-round pick
Hopkins is more than ready to bring out the popcorn and get front-row seats to Arizona's expected disaster of a 2023 season. A month ago, the veteran wideout signed a two-year, $26 million deal (worth up to $32 million with incentives) with the Titans, ending rampant speculation about his near future.
After spending the last three years in Arizona, Hopkins had a nasty fallout with the franchise which ended in him being released and the Cardinals eating his $22.6 million cap hit.
It's not like Hopkins' situation in Tennessee is that rosy, either. He's set to catch balls from a merry-go-round of quarterbacks in 2023: Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis, or Malik Willis.
But at least his franchise isn't tanking for USC star Caleb Williams, who's projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. Several mocks already have Williams going to the Cardinals at first overall (assuming the Cards successfully tank for that top selection) despite quarterback Kyler Murray's sticky contract situation.
At this rate, the Cards are well on track to become the worst team in the NFC West and in the league as a whole. One month removed from all that drama, Hopkins seems content on his new team and excited to watch his former franchise burn from afar.
