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Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins wants to get paid, and General Manager Rick Smith says he will work on a deal to keep his Pro Bowl stud in a red, white, and blue jersey.
Hopkins briefly held out the beginning of training camp to demand a new contract, but returned the next dayafter the organization refused to negotiate.
"Nuk"is a vital part of the Texans’ offense, along with being one of the best pass catchers the NFL has to offer today. According to Rick Smith in a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL radio, Hopkins’ contract will be taken care of "at the right time."
"He's got a great attitude. He's a leader on this football team. He's a heck of a football player. I think when he looks around our locker room, he sees that we take care of our good young players. We try to draft effectively and we try to keep our good young football players."
"I think he knows that, he has confidence that we will take care of him at the appropriate time and we plan to do that."
If the Texans want to become and then remain serious Super Bowl contenders anytime soon, locking down their elite pass catcher should be priority number one, as the Clemson product is coming off back-to-back seasons over 1,100 receiving yards, playing all sixteen games in each of his three seasons so far. Hopkins is coming off the best season of his career, registering 111 receptions and racking up 1,521 yards for 11 touchdowns in the process.
As Nuk enters the fourth year of his NFL career, it's fair to wonder whether the Texans could save themselves some money in the long-term by coming to an agreement with Hopkins before he posts another eye-popping stat line and only further cements himself as one of the best wideouts in the league. How would you handle it if you were Rick Smith?