In a stunning turn of events, the Houston Texans have traded star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson, a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder, according to John McClain of The Houston Chronicle.
Rumors surfaced on Monday morning about the Texans potentially trading Hopkins, and while some brushed them off as immaterial at first, Houston was apparently very serious.
Hopkins is coming off of a 2019 campaign in which he played 15 games and hauled in 104 receptions for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns en route to his third straight Pro Bowl appearance and third straight First-Team All-Pro selection.
The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Clemson, was originally selected by the Texans in the first round (27th pick overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Since then, Hopkins has established himself as one of the league's best wide outs, making four trips to the Pro Bowl and racking up over 1,500 yards twice.
Meanwhile, Johnson suffered through an injury-plagued 2019 season in which he played 13 games and rushed for just 345 yards, a couple of touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry and logging 36 catches for 370 yards and four scores.
Even when Johnson was healthy, he did not receive much playing time, as Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds got the bulk of the touches.
Ever since his breakout 2016 campaign in which he racked up 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns while hauling in 80 receptions for 879 yards and four scores en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and a First-Team All-Pro selection, Johnson has slumped due to injuries and inefficient performance across the board.
It's hard to imagine what the thought process is for the Texans, but one thing is for sure: Kyler Murray just landed one heck of a target in Arizona.
Follow Us
Subscribe