Finding a trade partner to meet DeAndre Hopkins contract demands led to the Cardinals

Finding a trade partner to meet wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins contract demands led them to the deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA Today

Houston, Texas- Nearly a month after trading wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Bill O'Brien discussed the deal even more in-depth on the reasoning behind the trade that remains a discussion point across the NFL. 

Hopkins, with three years left on his deal, wanted a contract adjustment, and those demands came before the 2019 season. The Texans found a spot for Hopkins with the Cardinals to start those contract discussions. 

During a pre-draft zoom meeting with the media, O'Brien discussed the trade that shook the NFL.

"I will tell you that DeAndre Hopkins was a great player in Houston," O'Brien explained. "Made a ton of plays for us and just did a great job. I mean, the production is there, and everybody knows what that production is. I'd say with three years left on his contract, his representatives themselves, 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 the DeAndre to Arizona."

The Texans were able to lock in David Johnson, 2020 second-round selection, 2021 4th round selection in the deal also but sent Hopkins a 2020 4th round selection to finish off the deal. The addition of Johnson appears to be a key piece in the agreement for the Texans understanding that the Cardinals were the only team willing to meet Hopkins' contract demands. 

With Hopkins searching for a contract adjustment, it created the crux of the issues between the Texans and Hopkins. Finding a trade partner was the priority for the Texans, and the Cardinals were willing to meet Hopkins' demands.

"Anytime you make a trade, each trade is unique, unto itself," O'Brien started. "When you're trading, a player like DeAndre Hopkins, who has three years left on his deal. And you know you're trying to find a trade partner. You're not talking to 31 other teams, so you're finding it, and I'm not going to get into all the details of this. You're finding a trade partner, number one, that's going to be able to pay DeAndre Hopkins, and that was a big part of it."

The Philadelphia Eagles were involved early but backed out due to Hopkins demands, but the Cardinals remained the final team standing. 

"Once we found that that team that could afford DeAndre Hopkins in the future," O'Brien added. "Now, we then began to negotiate with what the value of the trade was, so we feel very very good about being able to get the 40th pick, being able to get David Johnson."

"We feel really good about what we looked at the analytics of it," O'Brien said of the trade. "Based on the production that was leaving our team and the production that we were bringing in."

Hopkins spent his entire career with the Texans catching 1,048 passes for 8,602 yards and 54 total touchdowns. 

Johnson has spent five seasons in Arizona, where he has appeared in 62 games rushing for 3,128 yards and rushing for 33 touchdowns. He is also a pass-catching threat that has caught 208 passes for 2,219 yards and 15 touchdowns.