The Texans traded one of their best players for draft picks and David Johnson

Report: Texans trade DeAndre Hopkins

Cody Stoots
Mar 16, 2020, 12:26 pm
DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans were oh, so close. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The Texans trade DeAndre Hopkins or pennies on the dollar.

The trade

What an absolutely brutal return for what could be the best wideout in football.

The Texans added into the deal a fourth round pick as well making it an absolutely atrocious return.

David Johnson has been a disappoitment since his All-Pro season.

Hopkins didn't even warrant a first? Brutal.

Hopkins first tweet

Sensational was Hopkins' message. He seems happy to be headed out. Why wouldn't he? He is likely getting a new deal and at the very least he is getting to a team thrilled to have him.

The offense now

Will Fuller and Kenny Stills are now the top pass catchers on the Texans. The team also still has DeAndre Carter and Keke Coutee who are both slot wideout types.

The team will have to replace one of the best players in the history of the franchise. Hopkins almost never missed games. Stills and Fuller both have missed time recently. Stills missed three games this past season and left others with injury. Fuller has played 42 of the 64 possible regular season games in his career. In the past three years, he has missed 20 of the past 48 possible regular season games.

The direction of the offense is hard to figure out right now. They still have a speedster in Fuller but he isn't reliable. They have an abundance of tight ends and two pass-catching running backs named Johnson.

Congratulations to new play caller Tim Kelly. You have one of the hardest jobs in the world now: figuring out the Texans offense post-Hopkins.

O'Brien with full power has become reckless

The amount of recklessness shown by O'Brien and the lack of a filter has been incredible to watch.

The trade for Tunsil was paying above sticker price. The Texans didn't sign him to an extension and will make him the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history now.

This is the worst move in Texans history though. This takes the cake. Unless there is some medical or mental issue the Texans know about that nobody else does this takes the cake for worst move in franchise history.

Tunsil and Clowney give their thoughts

Laremy Tunsil and former Texans pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney weighed in on Instagram.

Apparently it was about money

This is horrible by the Texans. They could have stood pat. Hopkins wasn't going to sit with the new rules hurting veteran holdouts.

Per the new CBA from Dan Graziano: A "player playing under a contract signed as a veteran who fails to report to his club's preseason training camp on time or reports and leaves the club for more than five days" cannot have his fines waived by the team upon return and will not earn an accrued season for that season. Harsh, but note that it specifies "a contract signed as a veteran."

Also, even if he wanted new money, why wouldn't you take care of him? He was one of the best players at his position! He is better at wideout than Tunsil is at tackle and yet Tunsil is about to cash in. Goodness.

Watt Weighs In

Former Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson said he believes Watt might get traded.

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Here's what the betting markets reveal about Houston Texans 2023 campaign

The Texans play their final preseason game against the Saints on Sunday night. Composite Getty Image.

The 2023 NFL season is basically here. Yes, there's another preseason game left to play. Yes, there's still 37 guys that need to be cut. Yes, there are some last minute tweaks and changes to season plans that need to be made. Yes, DeMeco Ryans will name a starting quarterback (cough, C.J. Stroud, cough). And yes, bets will be placed. With that being said, here's a look at some of the futures that involved the Texans:

O/U 6.5 season win total: When last season ended, this number was hovering around four or four and a half in most places. Enter DeMeco Ryans, his new staff, C.J. Stroud, and Will Anderson Jr. Expectations shot up to the tune of an additional two games. If Vegas thinks the Texans can potentially win seven games, who am I to argue? I'm leaning on the under here, but barely. The run defense in that Dolphins game scared me. So does a rookie quarterback starting when his offensive line isn't all healthy. I'll be glad to be wrong about this one.

Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr +350: The rookie EDGE is the leader in the clubhouse for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Next best odds belong to Eagles' Jalen Carter at +600. Anderson Jr is easily the one guy that will have the highest impact on his new team when comparing the rookies. This defense has been void of an effective pass rush since J.J. Watt's Comeback Player of the Year award in the 2018 season. He's the prototypical pass rusher playing for a coach that helped shape one of the baddest defenses in the league over the last several years. I think this is a safe bet.

Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud +850: While Stroud has shown signs of his skill set that made him the number two overall pick, he still has a way to go. The receivers aren't great, the offensive line is banged up, the run game is decent, and he's presumably going to be thrown in the fire. This award usually goes to a rookie who contributes to a playoff team, or the quarterback that puts up good numbers on an exciting losing team. I don't see Stroud putting up crazy numbers. Instead, I'd put money on a running back or receiver to win it this year. Another one I hope I'm wrong about, but worth a small flyer on.

Texans win AFC South +850/AFC +10000: Miracles happen every day. The blind regain sight. The cripple walk. You get the point. However, I can only see a scenario of the Texans winning the AFC South if the Jags fall completely off, the Titans continue to take steps back, and the Colts implode after trading their best player. Too much has to go right for them to win the division, much less make a Super Bowl appearance. If you want, place the minimum bet allowed just in case.

While Vegas seems to see the Texans as a team on the come up, they're still not convinced this team is worthy of contending for a playoff spot. I'm okay with them not being highly thought of right now. That will give them the element of surprise when it comes to others taking them lightly. By others, I mean other fan bases and media of opposing teams. No NFL team should be taken lightly by another NFL team. They're all professionals who work incredibly hard to get to where they are. Again, I hope I'm wrong about a couple of these. I'd love nothing more than to be writing another article eating crow in January. This is why they play the games. CUE HERM EDWARDS!

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