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Very few could have foreseen the Houston Texans trading three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, which is why it was the most shocking move of the offseason when it was announced within 48 hours of free agency and the new NFL year in March.
The move even surprised former Texans receiver Andre Johnson, who was still working in the organization as a special advisor to the general manager.
“I think just the whole trade of DeAndre Hopkins, it was a surprise to everybody,” Johnson said on “The Jake Asman Show” Tuesday. “Nobody, I don’t think anybody saw that coming just with the chemistry that he and Deshaun [Watson] had.”
The Texans got the Arizona Cardinals’ 40th overall pick in the second round and also former All-Pro running back David Johnson, who was supposed to bolster the run game. However, Johnson has not recorded a single 100-yard rushing game, is currently on injured reserve, and Hopkins is currently third in the NFL with 77 receptions.
“People make decisions and do what they feel may be best for the team at the time,” said Johnson. “That’s what they felt was best and it is what it is. There’s nothing you can control about it. So, just have to take it with a grain of salt and just keep pushing.”
At the time, Bill O’Brien was the coach and general manager of the organization. Houston had been big players at the end of preseason 2019 as teams narrowed their rosters down to 53 men. O’Brien, who was not general manager then but had influence over the five-man general managing council, orchestrated the trade of Pro Bowl edge defender Jadeveon Clowney and gave up two first-round picks and a second-rounder, along with other pieces, to get left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins.
The Texans started 0-4 and O’Brien was dismissed on Oct. 5. Johnson had left the franchise by Aug. 22, and did not know if the Hopkins trade, parlayed with the winless start, is why O’Brien was fired.
“I don’t really know what was the reason for the move,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t in the building. So, I can’t say why what his firing was about.”