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Bill O’Brien’s decision to trade DeAndre Hopkins came as a total shock to me. I’d venture to say nearly every Texans fan would say the same. Yet since it happened last month, we’ve learned that it was widely known within the NFL that Nuk was readily available more than a year before the Texans actually parted ways with him, so the move didn’t come as a surprise to those inside the bubble. That learned group apparently included Hopkins himself, as the newest member of the Arizona Cardinals told the media today that he heard rumblings he was on the market as far back as last (2019) offseason.
During a conference call with Arizona reporters, All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said being traded by the Texans wasn't a surprise: 'It wasn’t a big surprise to me. I was preparing for it'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 17, 2020
The inimitable Rivers McCown has the full audio of the question and answer:
DeAndre Hopkins full answer to the question of if he was surprised by the trade and when he first heard about it: pic.twitter.com/kGtSoxpA1R
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) April 17, 2020
I’m no NFL personnel guru, so forgive my continued inability to believe that the best return you could get for the best receiver in the league was David Johnson, a 2020 second-round draft pick, and a 2021 fourth-rounder. Just gotta let it play out, I suppose.
/swigs directly from bottle o’ Paddy’s