The Houston Texans shocked the NFL world on Monday when they 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, but now, details are emerging as to why the Texans moved Hopkins.
According to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle, Hopkins was unhappy with his contract, which is set to pay him $40 million over the next three seasons. Houston did not want to renegotiate his deal, so it traded him to the Cardinals.
Obviously, Arizona may now be faced with the same issue, as it's hard to imagine that Hopkins will suddenly be okay with his current deal just because he changed teams, but Wilson notes that the Cardinals will have the opportunity to hammer out some new terms for Hopkins if they so desire.
Even if the Texans did not want to alter Hopkins' contract, it's hard to justify trading him for the return that they got.
Johnson is several years removed from his Pro Bowl campaign in 2016 and has dealt with a myriad of injury issues since. He is also coming off of a miserable 2019 campaign in which he totaled just 345 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Hopkins is still just 27 years old and just hauled in 104 receptions for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns this past season, earning his three straight Pro Bowl appearance and third consecutive First-Team All-Pro selection.
Overall, Hopkins has made four Pro Bowls since being drafted in 2013, racking up over 1,500 yards in two separate campaigns.
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