Tag: DeAndre Hopkins trade

3 potential Patriots trade packages for All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins

Here are three possible trade packages the Patriots could offer up for DeAndre Hopkins

The New England Patriots have spent much of the 2023 offseason filling glaring holes on offense and retaining key members of an above average defense.

Sure, the Patriots signing Juju Smith-Schuster, James Robinson, and Mike Gesicki helps form an upgraded pass-catching group from last year on paper, but the team has still failed to address the elephant in the room.

They desperately need a true wide receiver No. 1. The offense currently is much better as constructed, but it would likely still only be in the middle of the league with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and the new weapons.

The Patriots need someone that can dictate coverages, be the topic of opponents’ gameplans, and take the burden off the rest of the unit. Getting a true No. 1 receiver unlocks the rest of the offense and will get the most production out of each offensive skill position.

DeAndre Hopkins is that guy.

He’s an elite No. 1 wide receiver that Belichick adores, and fortunately for the Patriots, he’s actually available on the trade market. With Brandin Cooks being shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys and the high asking price for Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy, the Patriots could pivot to the better of the three in Hopkins.

Let’s take a look at some trade packages that could see the Patriots adding the elite playmaking receiver.

How Bill O’Brien wrecked the Texans over an 8-month span

Bill O’Brien did a number on the Houston Texans in just eight months as he doubled up as coach and shadow general manager.

The Houston Texans have been clawing their way out of a rebuild, and they may finally be out of it with the hiring of coach DeMeco Ryans.

While it can be argued that the conflicts with the franchise quarterback beginning in January 2021 were a huge setback for the organization, there were decisions made by Bill O’Brien over an eight-month span that were far more injurious to the team than just the problems at quarterback.

According to Michael Renner from Pro Football Focus, there were six mistakes that O’Brien made from August 2019 to March 2020 while coach and moonlighting general manager that set the Texans up for failure over the 2020-22 seasons.

The Texans gave O’Brien general manager control in the summer of 2019, and he reacted like a kid in a candy store. Here’s a highlight reel:

Tunsil turned out to be a three-time Pro Bowler. However, the capital given up to acquire him was detrimental to the Texans’ ability to assemble good drafts, especially in general manager Nick Caserio’s first draft in 2021.

The Texans clearly lost on the Hopkins trade, but the worst parts of O’Brien’s wheeling and dealing was giving up third-rounders for role players such as Johnson and Conley.

O’Brien was part of the Texans’ five-man general manager council following the firing of Brian Gaine in early June 2019. Chris Olsen was the interim general manager, but the moves were more like what a coach would make to shore up his roster.

The Texans fired O’Brien after an 0-4 start in 2020. Executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby was named the interim general manager until Caserio was hired in January 2021.

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Tyreek Hill trade to Dolphins reminds Texans how abominable Bill O’Brien was as a general manager

The Kansas City Chiefs’ haul in trading Tyreek Hill underscores how terrible Bill O’Brien was as the Houston Texans’ general manager.

The Kansas City Chiefs completed a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins, sending receiver Tyreek Hill to the AFC East club for a 2022 first-round, second-round, fourth-round, and 2023 fourth-round and sixth-round picks.

It makes sense. Hill is a six-time Pro Bowler who has 1,000-yard receiving seasons in four of his six seasons in the NFL. The 5-10, 185-pound speedy wideout is a Super Bowl champion and a key factor in taking the top off opposing defenses.

All the Hill trade highlights is how horrendous Bill O’Brien was as the general manager for the Houston Texans.

In the 2020 offseason, the Texans traded three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2020 second-round pick, a 2021 fourth-round pick, and former All-Pro running back David Johnson.

Hopkins had comparable production to Hill in that he produced five seasons of 1,000-plus yards receiving in his first seven seasons with Houston. The former 2013 first-round pick didn’t have as many accolades with four Pro Bowl selections, but he had as many first-team All-Pros as Hill.

The poor return in the Hopkins trade may have been what set the Texans back the most; it may be the biggest mess current general manager Nick Caserio has had to clean up.

It is one thing to give up two first-round picks and a second-rounder for a left tackle, as was the case at the end of the 2019 preseason when Houston acquired Laremy Tunsil.

It is another to not even match that lost compensation when dealing a proven multi-first-team All-Pro and wideout who was ascendent even before Deshaun Watson arrived.

If the Texans could have netted a first-round pick as part of their compensation package for Hopkins, it could have offset the hole the franchise was in due to the Tunsil trade. In some ways, it made the chasm expand.

According to O’Brien on April 16, 2020, the Texans had to find a trade partner willing to give Hopkins the pay raise he desired.

“Any time you make a trade, each trade is unique unto itself,” O’Brien said. “So, when you’re trading a player like DeAndre Hopkins who has three years left on his deal and you’re trying to find a trade partner, you’re not talking to 31 other teams. I’m not going to get into all the details of this, but you’re finding a trade partner, No. 1, that’s going to be able to pay DeAndre Hopkins. That was a big part of it. Once we found that team that could afford DeAndre Hopkins in the future, now we then began to negotiate what the value of the trade was.”

Compare that to Caserio, who was willing to hold on to Watson for a year and remained committed to the baseline of three first-round picks. O’Brien caved quickly and it cost the Texans.

Some of the blame for O’Brien’s bad decisions as general manager fall upon chairman and CEO Cal McNair, who should have kept O’Brien sequestered in his role as coach and not expanding into a front office role. McNair appears to have learned that lesson, which is why the Texans have made the commitment they have to Caserio and his vision.

Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins says facing the Texans ‘was just another game’

Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins didn’t have any strong feelings after the 31-5 win about facing his old team, the Houston Texans.

HOUSTON — After the trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for running back David Johnson in March of 2020, the All-Pro wide receiver played against the Houston Texans as an opponent for the first time in his career.

Hopkins recorded a touchdown and seven receptions for 53 yards against his former team, as the Cardinals took a 31-5 victory over the Texans, Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium.

As abrupt as the Pro-Bowl receiver has been since the deal, it’s a tad surprising that Hopkins did not do or say anything to mock one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history. In fact, Hopkins stayed focused on helping the Cardinals sustain their winning ways against the Texans, as Arizona improved to 7-0 on the season following the win.

Hopkins scored the first of four touchdowns for the Cardinals, connecting with quarterback Kyler Murray for a 1-yard reception.

“It was just another game for me,” Hopkins said during his post-game press conference. “This team, we have bigger goals. We knew we had to handle business today, and we know what kind of team we have in this locker room. I did not what to make it [about myself.] Just go out there and play my game.”

Then-general manager and coach Bill O’Brien said the decision to trade Hopkins was due to money, not based on his on-field production. Hopkins was seeking a contract extension with a raise in pay after helping the Texans reach the AFC Divisional Round amid a 10-6 record in 2019.

A conflict of financial interest is a reason Chairman and CEO Cal McNair further rationalize by stating the upcoming contracts for quarterback Deshaun Watson and left tackle Laremy Tunsil played a part in Hopkins’ jettison.

Following the trade, Hopkins signed a two-year $54.5 million extension six months later with the Cardinals. The Cardinals are now 15-8 since trading for Hopkins, while the Texans have posted a record of 5-18 since departing Houston.

“That’s Houston, and this is Phoenix,” he said when asked about the differences between the two organizations. “Nothing really stands out as far as a negative and a positive. But I wouldn’t say sticks out between the two teams.”

Hopkins, 29, was a first-round pick by the Texans during the 2013 NFL draft out of Clemson. Hopkins ended his eight-year tenure ranked second all-time for most receiving yards (8,602), receptions (632) and touchdowns (54) — trailing only Andre Johnson in all categories.

How much was money a factor in the Texans’ trading WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals?

DeAndre Hopkins’ contract requests were a motivating factor for the Houston Texans trading the receiver. How big were they actually?

Bill O’Brien told the world on April 16, 2020, over a month after the Houston Texans traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals that they just didn’t have the salary cap space to keep him.

It was the first time since the trade that anyone had heard from the organization about the shipping of the three-time All-Pro to the Cardinals for a 2020 second-round pick and former All-Pro running David Johnson.

“I would say, again, going back to what I talked about originally relative to contracts, injuries, the salary cap as a part of the game as we know it right now relative to the future of our team, next year, two years, three years down the road,” O’Brien said. “It was going to be very, very difficult to have an elite quarterback [Deshaun Watson], an elite defensive end [J.J. Watt], an elite left tackle [Laremy Tunsil] and other players and be able to do that. So, we felt like, again, after research and layers of research, that the best decision for our team was to move him to Arizona. That’s what we decided to do.”

2020 was the first year with O’Brien doubling up as both coach and general manager. After an 0-4 start, O’Brien was fired, and the subject of the Hopkins trade came up again. Was the Texans’ 0-4 start preventable if the club had decided to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson’s biggest target?

Chairman and CEO Cal McNair told Texans Radio play-by-play Marc Vandermeer on Oct. 7, 2020, that having to negotiate extensions for Watson and Tunsil in the offseason led to the departure of Hopkins.

“We have the franchise left tackle is a huge piece of the puzzle,” McNair said. “We have a franchise quarterback, which is what we’ve been looking for for years, and what every team is looking for and trying to get. And we have him, and we have a very firm belief that Deshaun is our guy. And, so, we had those two major contracts. If you look across the league, we are paying more than anyone, and it’s not really close, on our roster. And, so, when Hopkins wanted to redo his contract, it just wasn’t something that we could do.”

It is true that Hopkins wanted to rework his contract with the Texans, as evidenced by the extension he received from Arizona in September of 2020. However, paydays aren’t the only things that motivates Hopkins.

The Texans pitched the notion that it was difficult to pay for Watson, Watt, and Tunsil; there just wasn’t any salary cap space for Hopkins, who wanted more money. So, they just had to trade him.

Hopkins may have made that argument spurious.

In a tweet on May 21, Hopkins indicated via Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire that he would be willing to rework his contract with the Cardinals if that is what it took to acquire two-time All-Pro wideout Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons. The tweet has since been deleted, but Jess Root from the Cards Wire verifies that Hopkins’ reply with a GIF was in the affirmative that he would restructure his contract for Jones.

If Hopkins would be willing to restructure his contract so quarterback Kyler Murray could have Larry Fitzgerald, Jones, and Hopkins to target in the passing game, wouldn’t Hopkins also be willing to restructure his contract to allow Watson to have a premier pass protector, and maybe the defense to have a dominant edge rusher?

After the Texans traded Hopkins, they did finalize contract extensions with Tunsil, linebacker Zach Cunningham, and Watson. The club also restructured six players’ contracts to provide for salary cap space in the 2021 offseason.

The Texans enter a 2021 season with even more questions than they faced the year before, and one of the bad moves that continues to plague the franchise is the trading of Hopkins — whatever the motivations were.

Texans’ trading WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals named best sports transaction of 2020

The Houston Texans’ trading of WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals was the best sports transaction of 2020.

Where were you when you heard the news the Houston Texans had traded three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round selection?

The transaction that shocked Houston sports fans on March 20, 2020, was named the “Best Sports Transaction of the Year” from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, in an offseason where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed quarterback Tom Brady, who won them a Super Bowl at the end of the 2020 campaign, Arizona trading for Hopkins was the best move in the entire NFL.

“I’d say with three years left on his contract, his representatives, himself, myself and our team of people, we spoke and we felt like relative to what I said earlier — salary cap, future, our team, being able to provide our team with more and more role players, layers of players — it was in the best interest of our team to move DeAndre to Arizona,” then-coach and general manager Bill O’Brien told reporters on April 16, 2020. “We feel like we made a really good deal with Arizona.”

So did Arizona. So did the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Reality didn’t as the Texans finished 4-12 with O’Brien losing his job after an 0-4 start.

 

Andre Johnson says the Texans trading WR DeAndre Hopkins ‘was a surprise to everybody’

Former Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson says the organization trading DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals was a big surprise.

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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.”

DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk to be game-time decisions for Cardinals

Two players were ruled out and seven players are questionable for Sunday’s game.

The Arizona Cardinals enter Week 4 with a number of injured players as they get ready to take on the Carolina Panthers on the road. They have ruled out two players for Sunday and have another seven listed as questionable, including multiple starters.

Safeties Budda Baker and Chris Banjo were ruled out. Baker had thumb surgery this week and Banjo did not practice at all after injuring his hamstring last Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph already said that Deionte Thompson and Curtis Riley will start at safety.

Receivers DeAndre Hopkins (ankle) and Christian Kirk (groin) are both questionable for Sunday. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said they would both be Sunday decisions. Hopkins did not practice at all this week.

Hopkins has a track record of not missing games, but Kingsbury said he won’t play if he can’t play well. “If he can go, he’ll go, but we don’t want to put him out there if he isn’t feeling his best,” he told reporters Friday afternoon, especially since it is in the first month of the season still.

Kingsbury said Kirk is not 100% but might be able to go. He was limited all week.

Center Mason Cole (hamstring) was limited all week and is listed as questionable. Lamont Gaillard would start in his place this week again.

Linebacker Devon Kennard, who has a calf injury, was unable to practice all week. He, though, is also listed as questionable. If he can’t play, Haason Reddick will start in his place.

Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is in the concussion protocol. He is also questionable. He did not practice on Friday after being limited on Thursday. If he can’t go, Byron Murphy will play outside and Kevin Peterson will come in to play in nickel downs. Expect to see Jace Whittaker elevated from the practice squad.

Linebacker Dennis Gardeck (foot) was limited all week and linebacker Tanner Vallejo (illness) was a full participant in practice after being sitting out on Thursday. Both are also questionable for the game.

Ruled out:

  • S Budda Baker (thumb)
  • S Chris Banjo (hamstring)

Questionable:

  • WR DeAndre Hopkins (ankle)
  • WR Christian Kirk (groin)
  • C Mason Cole (hamstring)
  • LB Devon Kennard (calf)
  • CB Dre Kirkpatrick (concussion)
  • LB Dennis Gardeck (foot)
  • LB Tanner Vallejo (illness)

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DeAndre Hopkins is a superstar acquisition for Arizona culture

DeAndre ‘Nuk’ Hopkins brings much-need star power to the Arizona Cardinals. His presence brings more than more touchdowns for the Cardinals, however.

DeAndre Hopkins is one of the few players in the NFL carrying the title of superstar.

Hopkins, also known as “Nuk,” was an icon in Houston and the state of Texas in its entirety. His roots from Clemson, South Carolina developed into a fanbase across the nation due to his humble ascension to star college receiver.

Hopkins initially joined a Houston Texans team riddled with quarterback issues and a lack of national recognition. Despite this, Nuk put up dominant numbers starting in 2014. He began to come up in backyard football debates about possibly being a top receiver in the league.

Houston’s brilliant trade up in the 2017 draft for another Clemson star, Deshaun Watson, skyrocketed the Texans offense. Hopkins and the Texans finally had their franchise signal caller, and the national television games began popping up more for Houston. Watson and Hopkins were dynamic.

DeAndre Hopkins, left, and Deshaun Watson, both of the Houston Texans, attend the 9th Annual NFL Honors at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. (Jeff Lewis/AP Images for NFL)

Three years and 4,115 receiving yards later, Hopkins is on his way to the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray.

The discussion for Bill O’Brien’s decision to trade DeAndre is for another time. How does this affect Arizona sports culture as a whole?

DeAndre Hopkins brings a wealth of fans from the Carolinas, Texas and all those enamored with his play on Houston’s nationally televised games. As one of the most recognized names in the NFL, the national spotlight follows Hopkins to his new team, the Arizona Cardinals.

Those Cardinals have been conservative in free agency and some of their first-round draft choices in recent memory. Outside of Larry Fitzgerald, Chandler Jones, and Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals were missing star power, the kind that makes an NFL team nationally acknowledged and supported.

The stigma in the NFL world often teases Arizona as a retirement home’ for former Pro-Bowlers and stars. To their credit, they have had success bringing in players like Carson Palmer, but the fact remains nonetheless. They were never the team with the biggest offseason headlines.

The Cardinals shifted the recent conservative trend with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury and the drafting of quarterback Kyler Murray, just one year removed from taking another signal caller with their first draft selection. The addition of DeAndre Hopkins is the perfect complement to the new-look Cards.

Hopkins brings Arizona an icon in the community similar to that of his new teammate, Larry Fitzgerald. DeAndre was an active member in helping the Houston community, and has wasted no time in doing the same for Arizona.

 

Arizona sports have now added another icon that gives them national relevancy. Maybe the Cardinals now receive more primetime games, potentially taking the previous slots from the Houston Texans. No. 10 jerseys may very well go into the same tier as Larry Fitzgerald, Kyler Murray, and Suns’ Devin Booker in terms of popularity amongst the state.

Superstar DeAndre Hopkins is a break in the recent conservative Arizona sports trend. He brings a large fanbase, dominant play on the field, and national spotlight with him. One of the most recognized names in American sports now resides in the desert.

Sensational.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 263

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Ep. 262

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