The sports world was thrown for a massive loop late last week when the global pandemic known as COVID-19 sent all major sports to a screeching halt.
However, the NFL decided to truck on with free agency as usual, and in the opening hours of the legal tampering period the Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Texans agreed to a stunner of a trade, with Houston sending receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth round pick to Arizona for running back David Johnson, a second round pick and a fourth round pick in 2021.
Cardinals get: WR DeAndre Hopkins and a 4th-round pick.
Texans get: RB David Johnson, a second-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020
This trade has serious ramifications around the entire NFL, but it’s very clear the immediate impact will be around the NFC West, where Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and his air raid offense will add one of the best receivers in the NFL to an offense featuring future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald and young quarterback Kyler Murray.
For the Seahawks, finding another lockdown corner to replace Tre Flowers might become even more of a priority now that Arizona will have two elite threats on the outside.
Flowers struggled in his second season last year, and the team may not be able to deal with another year of growing pains in a division filled with elite talent on the outside.
Free agent options could include Desmond Trufant and Byron Jones, or the team could buck tradition and take a cornerback early in the 2020 NFL draft.
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