Houston Texans star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins—a staple of the offense for the past six years—was surprisingly traded by the AFC South franchise on Monday, the NFL's first day of free agency, to the Arizona Cardinals in a deal many have already panned as terrible for Houston.

Hopkins, 27, will join an exciting Cardinals team led by rising sophomore quarterback Kyler Murray, who was the first overall pick in last year's draft, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma, and won this past season's Offensive Player of the Year distinction.

Hopkins took to Twitter to thank the Texans organization ahead of his big trade to Arizona. “The Texan’s [sic] organization served me well, the city of Houston served me well, and my teammates served me well,” the four-time Pro Bowl wideout wrote on social media on Monday evening. “The city of Houston will forever be loved. Now it’s time to bring a championship to AZ!!”

https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1239705487894953984

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Texans owner Cal McNair

Benjamin Adducchio ·

Hopkins has been one of the best wide receivers in the past three seasons in the NFL, joining forces with former Clemson standout and now Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson as his No. 1 option out wide. In 2019, Hopkins recorded 104 catches for 1,165 receiving yards, scoring seven touchdowns. The previous two seasons Hopkins totaled over 20 touchdowns, cementing his name as one of the current best pass-catchers.

The Cardinals' latest addition should be a huge boon to Murray and second-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose “air raid” offensive attack will surely get a boost with Hopkins' presence on the gridiron.