Monday’s news of the Houston Texans trading three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals shook the Houston sports scene.
Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, thanked Hopkins publicly on Twitter on Monday evening.
“@DeAndreHopkins was true to his roots on and off the field,” Turner wrote. “He worked to uplift our communities & invested to ensure our children had the chance to learn all sports. I appreciate his incredible athleticism & sportsmanship while with the @HoustonTexans #ThanksDeAndreHopkins”
Hopkins replied and thanked Turner for, “showing me what a real leader looks like.”
Thank you for showing me what a real leader looks like. https://t.co/DbPdTNnxz1
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) March 17, 2020
Hopkins was on pace to overtake Texans Ring of Honor receiver Andre Johnson in numerous career categories. For instance, after Week 16’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that delivered the AFC South to Houston, Hopkins extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 110, the second-longest in club history behind Johnson’s 133.
The streak is the fifth-longest active streak of games with at least one reception in the NFL. Hopkins will have a chance to add to that record with the Cardinals in 2020.