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What is DeAndre Hopkins' net worth? Cardinals star might quit NFL over Covid-19 vaccine rules

The Arizona Cardinals player may quit the league if forced to get vaccinated, a now-deleted tweet says, leading to public shaming of his stance

DeAndre Hopkins, the wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals has threatened to quit the NFL if forced to get vaccinated. On July 22, the player put up a now-deleted tweet, followed later by an ominous "freedom" tweet. Fans have put two and two together and trolled Hopkins (also known as DHop) for his anti-vaccine stance. 

Hopkins isn't the first sports star to raise questions about the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine. In April 2020, tennis ace Novak Djokovic shocked the world when he said "I am opposed to vaccination." In June 2021, Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold was trolled for saying he was "evaluating" the vaccine. Others like wrestler Sasha Banks have taken a more subtle approach to indicate their feelings about the vaccine.

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Like the rest of America, the NFL too is struggling to increase vaccination rates. Currently, all 32 teams have a 50 per cent vaccination rate, which means the league still faces risks of canceled games due to Covid-19 outbreaks. In a bid to promote vaccination, the league announced early on July 22 that canceled games would be credited as a loss, and all players would not be paid for the game. That stance seems to have angered Hopkins, who has now threatened to quit the league. 

The big question is, can he afford to do so? Without his lucrative NFL contract, can the star make a living elsewhere? It shouldn't be too hard to find a job, and he doesn't have to do so immediately. Thanks to the NFL, Hopkins is sitting on a large net worth, which should keep him comfortable for a while.

What is DeAndre Hopkins' net worth?

Hopkins is far from the richest player in the league, but that doesn't mean his net worth is something to be scoffed at. According to Celebrity Net Worth, it is currently around $40 million. As far as we know, most of that comes from his lucrative NFL contracts. In 2013, he was picked up by the Houston Texas in the Draft, and given a $7.68 million contract. That deal came with a signing bonus of $3.98 million, and $6.18 million guaranteed. 

In 2017, that was upped to a five-year $81 million deal, with  $49 million guaranteed and a $7.5 million signing bonus. In 2020, he was traded to the Cardinals and signed a two-year extension with the team. The Cardinals contract was reportedly worth $54.5 million, with $42.75 million in guarantees. With that deal, Hopkins would be making $27.25 million per year, which is the highest ever annual NFL salary for a non-quarterback. 

Forbes reported he earns another $1 million from endorsements, but that is likely to be an estimate on the lower side. As one of the biggest names in the league and frequent performers, Hopkins is routinely sought out by top brands. Currently, he's endorsing and invested in startups like Beyond Meat, Therabody, BioSteel, and Oars & Alps. In 2016, he also signed a multi-year deal with Adidas and became the face of the brand's adizero franchise. It's unclear how much the deal was worth, but it surely didn't come cheap. In 2020, he also signed with IMG Models to expand his reach into the fashion industry. Again, numbers were not available, but if you command the highest non-quarterback salary in the league, it's safe to say the deal must have been big. 

Hopkins 'free to retire'

It seems social media was more than happy to see Hopkins go if he refused to get vaxxed. "Dhop can retire and the league would forget about him by the end of the season," one person tweeted. One person joked, "Funniest thing about dhop is if he does retire cardinals are still the winners of that trade." Another said, "DHop is free to retire, it’s not like they’re forcing him to take it lmao."

"DHop gonna retire over a vaccine? Don't the antivaxxers know that Trump took it?" one person noted. Another slammed, "If he won’t get vaccinated he can retire idc, I rather have no Dhop than players missing games bc they got COVID from him." A user commented, "DHop going to retire instead of get a shot….weak."

With that kind of cash already in the bank, Hopkins' doesn't have to worry about losing out on his lucrative contract. Of course, it would be a big loss, but there's always good money in becoming a TV pundit. If all else fails, he can definitely strike a few endorsement deals to keep the cash flowing. Is the tweet an empty threat? Only Hopkins knows, and until he tells us we can only speculate if he is going to bring the curtains down on a highly successful and lucrative career.