DeAndre Hopkins fully bought in on Arizona Cardinals, himself

DeAndre Hopkins isn’t short on confidence in himself or the Cardinals.

In the coup of the 2020 offseason, the Arizona Cardinals took their rebuilding offense to the next level, trading for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The perennial Pro Bowl pass-catcher now joins the Offensive Rookie of the Year from last season, quarterback Kyler Murray, along with running back Kenyan Drake, franchise legend Larry Fitzgerald and youngsters Christian Kirk and Andy Isabella.

Hopkins mired away early in his career with the Houston Texans in terms of his potential. Saddled with shaky quarterback play, he still produced like a top-tier player at the position. But it was once Deshaun Watson took over that he truly began to shine. In fact, in three seasons with Watson, Nuk has 315 receptions for 4,115 yards and 31 touchdowns.

And he believes he might be even better than what those numbers say. When on The Jalen & Jacoby Show this week, Hopkins didn’t mince words about his place in the NFL’s wide receiver hierarchy, per ESPN.com:

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"“I definitely think I’m the best…I know I’m the best. Mike’s my boy. I love [Saints wide receiver] Michael [Thomas] … but he knows if I had Drew Brees my whole career what these numbers would be. [Falcons wide receiver] Julio Jones knows if I had Matt Ryan my whole career. That’s my boy. I trained with Julio, too. He knows what these numbers would be.”"

Hopkins continued in that regard, saying that he believed that Kyler Murray and the young Cardinals offense under second-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury would give him an opportunity to truly showcase that. And he may not be wrong.

The wide receiver’s confidence in his new team didn’t stop there, though. Hopkins went on to say that “it’s Super Bowl or nothing for me” now that he’s with the Cardinals (via Bleacher Report). So much for setting the bar for expectations low as he arrives in Arizona.

How good will the Cardinals be with DeAndre Hopkins in tow?

Let’s start with this: The Cardinals making the Super Bowl might be a bit outlandish at this point. However, it should also be said that it may not be the fault of Murray, Hopkins and Kingsbury’s offense. Instead, the defense, a unit still rebuilding around rookie Isaiah Simmons and Chandler Jones, still has too many holes to feel fully confident in the team as a whole.

As much as the defense may limit the team’s overall ceiling, though, the Cardinals could be one of the most dangerous and entertaining teams in the league. The young quarterback appeared to be well worth the No. 1 overall pick spent on him as a rookie and Kingsbury’s offense was impressive beyond what most imagined from him.

Now that offense has one of the best wide receivers in the NFL — or the absolute best if you ask Hopkins — to further open things up. He’s the all-around player that was lacking in the offense and should open everything else around him even further. Subsequently, the Cardinals should be putting big numbers up on the scoreboard.

Hopkins arriving in Arizona could be best for everyone. He’s now in a more creative offensive system with a team seemingly being run properly in the front office. Moreover, he’s a part of a team on the ascent and can help them take a major leap forward. The Cardinals may not be heading for Super Bowl LV but they are heading into a statement 2020 season with the self-proclaimed best wide receiver in the NFL helping to lead the charge.