The rumors were swirling that the Houston Texans have All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins on the trade block.
The rumor got started on Monday when Peter King from NBC Sports’ “Football Morning in America” told him that two teams over the weekend told him to watch the Texans and Hopkins.
It might be just pre-draft chatter, but two teams over the weekend told me to watch Houston and DeAndre Hopkins, who has three years and a reasonable $40 million left on his contract, and who’d cause only a $3-million cap hit to the Texans if they traded him. Houston is currently in draft hell, without a top-50 pick in 2020 and 2021, and coach Bill O’Brien has huge needs to fill on his offensive line, in the secondary and overall youth on the front seven; J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus will play this year at 31 and 30.
Now, that rumor has come true.
Framework of trade still being finalized, sources tell ESPN:
🏈Cardinals get DeAndre Hopkins and a late-round pick.
🏈Texans get David Johnson and a second-round pick.
Other picks involved, but Hopkins wanted a new deal that Arizona can provide.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020
The Texans traded with the Arizona Cardinals for All-Pro running back David Johnson and threw in a late-round pick. On top of that, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cardinals will send along Johnson and a second-round pick to get Hopkins, who is looking for a new contract anyway.
According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans sent their 2020 fourth-round pick and will get back Arizona’s 2020 second-round pick and their 2021 fourth-round pick.
DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth round pick go to Cards for David Johnson and a second round pick this year and a fourth round pick next year.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) March 16, 2020
With Hopkins off the Texans, quarterback Deshaun Watson now has receivers Will Fuller, Kenny Stills, Keke Coutee, and DeAndre Carter.