The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly being bombarded with trade interest in their third overall pick for this month's NFL Draft.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, at least six teams have contacted the Cardinals to gauge their asking price.

Arizona are believed to be open to trading the pick due to the fact that they content with Kyler Murray as their franchise quarterback going forward, and with the top two picks almost assuredly going to be used on quarterback prospects, pick three is viewed as the only chance to trade up and get one of the class' best arms.

The Carolina Panthers recently traded up from pick nine to the Chicago Bears' top overall selection with the clear goal to select their quarterback of the future, and in addition to pick nine they sent away pick 61, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder, and their top wide receiver D.J. Moore.

It has the potential to be a franchise-altering haul for the Bears, and while the package for what is essentially the third-best quarterback prospect in the class will be significantly less than the price to have your pick of the bunch, a bidding war could be just what the Cardinals need.

If they were to stay put at three and make a selection, the Cardinals would likely take the best non-quarterback on the board, and the consensus there is Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson.

Anderson would immediately become one of the Cardinals' most valuable players, but a roster with so many holes needs more than one defensive player to get things back on track.

Arizona also hold three more top-100 picks – at 34, 66 and 96 – and four more in the later rounds, so a strong return for their top selection could set the franchise up for a quick turnaround.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the New Year's Day trip to face the Atlanta Falcons due to a knee injury.

Hopkins had been listed as questionable for the Week 17 encounter on Sunday and he was ruled out on New Year's Eve after his injury flared up this week.

He will sit out a seventh game of the season for a Cardinals side that are out of playoff contention.

Hopkins missed the opening six games of the year due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Andre Baccellia has been promoted from Arizona's practice squad in the absence of Hopkins.

The Cardinals confirmed on Friday that David Blough will be the starting quarterback against the Falcons.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward did not gain any respect for star Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins when they matched up on Monday.

The 49ers won the contest convincingly 38-10 as the Cardinals were without starting quarterback Kyler Murray, missing his second consecutive game through injury.

Despite the Cardinals' struggles, Hopkins managed a productive outing, catching nine passes for 91 yards from his 12 targets. Since his return from a six-week suspension for traces of performance enhancing drugs in his system, Hopkins leads the NFL in both targets and catches.

However, speaking to the 49ers' radio broadcast after the win, Ward took the opportunity to trash the five-time All-Pro, calling him "steroid boy".

"D-Hop, he think he a tough guy," he said. "He think he still one of the best receivers in the league, and he really not.

"He was getting locked up. He was doing some dirty things. He tried to clip me, he grabbed me by the throat. He grabbed my facemask on one play, so I don’t respect his game. That’s steroid boy."

Ward, who arrived as a key free agent signing in the offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs, led the 49ers in total tackles in the game, tying his season-high with 10.

It was the third consecutive week the 49ers' defense have not allowed a single point in the second half, leading to three wins on the trot to climb atop the NFC West with a 6-4 record.

The Arizona Cardinals snapped their two-game losing skid by capitalizing on three Andy Dalton interceptions in a 42-34 win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.

The Cardinals led 35-17 before the Saints scored two fourth-quarter TDs through Dalton passes, but the damage was done as Arizona improved to 3-4 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Arizona QB Kyler Murray, who was seen shouting at head coach Kliff Kingsbury in the second quarter, completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, along with 30 rushing yards. DeAndre Hopkins sparked his side, returning from suspension for the first time this season for 103 yards from 10 catches.

Cardinals running backs Eno Benjamin, who had 12 carries for 92 yards, and rookie Keaontay Ingram both scored TDs.

The story of the game was Saints QB Dalton, starting for the fourth straight game in Jameis Winston's absence due to a back injury. 

Dalton had thrown only one interception in his previous three starts, but gave away three, including two pick-sixes to Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons. He had 30-of-47 passing for 361 yards with four touchdowns, connecting with Juwan Johnson for two of them, but the three interceptions hurt.

The Saints had gone ahead early when Dalton found Rashid Shaheed with a 53-yard TD pass, but the Cardinals worked their way back with 25 second-quarter points. Ingram powered his way in for a TD, before Wilson swooped on Marquez Callaway's tip ball, followed by Simmons' interception return from the 40-yard line.

The game marked the Cardinals' first 40-plus-point game since January 1 2017, breaking the longest streak in the NFL of 87 games.

Larry Fitzgerald does not believe DeAndre Hopkins' PED suspension will have any impact on his long-term legacy.

All-Pro wide receiver Hopkins was this month suspended for the first six games of the 2022 campaign for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The news served as a substantial blow to the Arizona Cardinals and their hopes of success in the coming season.

But Cardinals legend and former team-mate Fitzgerald rejected talk of the ban tarnishing Hopkins' reputation.

"I don't think so," Fitzgerald said when asked by TMZ if he thought the suspension would taint Hopkins' legacy.

"He'll still be a Hall of Famer. He's talented. He'll work through it.

"It's just some adversity and, you know, he's a tough guy, resourceful, and he'll work his way through it."

The Cardinals may have a tougher time working their way through his 2022 absence.

With Hopkins on the field last year in the regular season, they went 8-2, averaging 30.2 points per game. In the seven games he missed through injury, the Cardinals were 3-4, scoring 21 points per game.

They start their 2022 campaign with an extremely difficult assignment, hosting a Kansas City Chiefs team that has reached the AFC Championship Game in each of the last four seasons.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is to be suspended for six games by the NFL for violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, according to reports.

The 29-year-old required MCL surgery after suffering a knee injury in December's 30-23 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, missing the remainder of the 2021 campaign, including the Wild Card playoff loss to the Rams.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cardinals will be without Hopkins for the opening six games of the season due to his suspension, which is final after he withdrew his appeal.

The Cardinals traded on draft day for another wide receiver, Marquise Brown, having lost Christian Kirk after the 25-year-old signed a $72million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the 10 games he did play in last season, Hopkins – a three-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection – managed 42 receptions for a total of 572 yards, with eight touchdowns to his name.

In the 2020 season, his first with Arizona after being traded by the Houston Texans, he recorded 1,407 yards from 115 receptions, and six TDs.