Why DeAndre Hopkins Should Be Glad to Get out of Houston

After being traded to Arizona Cardinals, former Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins should be happy to get away from the Texans and their head coach.

Former Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins should be overjoyed that he got out of Houston. No, it's not for any of the reasons that head coach Bill O'Brien allegedly talked to him about or because he has a bad relationship with his teammates. It certainly wasn't because Hopkins was on the downslide of his career. 

In 2019, Hopkins caught 104 passes for 1,165 yards which marked the second straight season "Nuk" has caught at least 100 passes and the third straight season he gained at least 1,000 receiving yards. If anything, Hopkins was reaching the peak of his career when O'Brien, who also happens to be the general manager for the Texans, shipped him off to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson and a second-round pick. 

So why should Hopkins be glad to be with the Cardinals? The answer is simple: Bill O'Brien has little chance of winning. 

The main problem with the Texans is that Bill O'Brien, who was a coach with the New England Patriots for five seasons, runs his team like Bill Belichick would. It's O'Brien's way or the highway. The main difference between Belichick and O'Brien is that one coach has six Super Bowl rings, the other hasn't so much as made the AFC Championship game. It's incredibly difficult to command the respect of your players when you continue to shrink in the biggest moments, like blowing a 24-point lead to the Kansas City Chiefs last season in the playoffs. O'Brien has not done enough during his six years as Texans head coach to warrant the kind of move that he made on Monday.

Now in a new and better situation with the Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins will get the chance to be what he has been since his time at Clemson: a leader and an alpha-dog. While the Texans and Bill O'Brien get to reap the results of trading a future hall-of-famer.