The Arizona Cardinals agreed to acquire star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with the Houston Texans last month, sending running back David Johnson and a second-round draft pick to the Texans in exchange (the teams also swapped fourth-rounders). However, nothing is official just yet.
Why? Because neither Hopkins nor Johnson have been able to take their physicals because of the current lockdown concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters on Tuesday that he is not worried about the deal falling through, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
This could create a rather sticky situation.
The NFL Draft takes place later this month, and the Cardinals agreed to trade its second-round pick to Houston in the trade. So if neither Hopkins nor Johnson are able to take physicals before then, the two sides may have to agree to proceed without them.
The Texans' decision to trade Hopkins was enough in and of itself to catch everyone by surprise, but the return they received from him raised even more eyebrows.
Widely regarded as one of the top-three wide receivers in the NFL, Hopkins has made four Pro Bowls while earning three First-Team All-Pro selections.
Meanwhile, Johnson made one Pro Bowl in 2016 and has since been derailed by injuries and disappointing play overall. He is also set to earn a tick over $10 million next season.
Couple that with the fact that the Minnesota Vikings landed four draft picks — including a first-rounder — from the Buffalo Bills for fellow wide out Stefon Diggs, and the Texans' haul from the Cardinals for Hopkins looks that much more dubious.
And if all of this falls apart? That would create an awkward situation for the Texans and Cardinals, while affecting both teams' draft plans. Kingsbury isn't worried, but time is running out.
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