In a shocking offseason move, the Houston Texans pulled the plug on wide receiver De’Andre Hopkins for the Cardinals, resulting in one of the best wide receivers in the game suiting up for Arizona.
The Texans received RB David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick and a fourth-round pick next year. The Cardinals get DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick.
Three years removed from his breakout NFL season, Johnson missed most of the 2017 season with a wrist injury. He’s split playing ever since returning to the field. Johnson is now guaranteed $10.2 million for 2020 and $2.1 million of his base salary in 2021 guarantees in five days.
The Cardinals’ offense instantly got better once they replaced him with Drake. With the wide-open offense style of head coach Kliff Kingsberry, the team may have a top 5 offense this season.
Quarterback Kyler Murray will lead a combination of future HOF Larry Fitzgerlad and Hopkins. The Arizona Cardinals may have just pushed them into playoff position. As the new CBA was ratified by players the NFL will now have seven playoff teams.
Hopkins and Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson had some chemistry with any wide receiver and quarterback in the 2019 season. Having a 70% catch rate when targeted and over 1100 yards. This is a huge blow to a Houston team that’s been in the playoffs, but never reached the championship game.
In only seven seasons, he’s amassed 8,602 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns. On the Texans behalf it’s head-scratching. The Texans didn’t want to rework Hopkins’ three-year contract against their cap. The AFC South is one of the most competitive divisions in the league. Now it seems the Texans will take a seat back to the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts.
Dollars, but no sense
On the surface (and viewing the money and production of both players) it just doesn’t make sense from a value standpoint. Cardinals now have a top player in the NFL and Texans have an injury-plagued running back with a huge contract. Head Coach Bill O’Brien of the Texans loves defense and the running game, but even this is a stretch. Watson will now burden any more of a load for the team.
We’ll have to see what moves are made in the draft, but as of now the Texans receive a “D” and the Cardinals get an “A” for this trade.
