PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 23: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans celebrates with DeAndre Hopkins #10 against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 23, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Texans 32-30. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Deshaun Watson was not a fan of the DeAndre Hopkins trade.
This was a trade that didn’t make much sense to a lot of people. The Houston Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson, a second-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick. This trade was a shock to Deshaun Watson, NFL fans, and media.
Aside from Watson as the Texans quarterback, Hopkins was their best offensive weapon. In the last three seasons combined, Hopkins caught 315 passes (487 targets) for 4,115 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The pair didn’t play together at Clemson but the bond between them as Clemson Tigers was strong. Watson won a national championship against the Alabama Crimson Tide and earned a host of college football awards during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Both Clemson standouts were drafted in the first round for the Texans four years apart and now Texans fans will never know what could have been.
Family ✊ @deshaunwatson @DeAndreHopkins pic.twitter.com/uJ3SzVWfEI
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) July 7, 2020
Watson revealed he was hurt when the trade happened earlier this offseason and rightfully so. If a team wants to win, they don’t trade away the best offensive weapon they have outside of the quarterback. That’s what Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien did. After the trade occurred, details of Hopkins and O’Brien’s lack of a relationship surfaced.
The Houston Texans did a major disservice to Watson by carrying out this trade. However, if the acquisitions of Brandon Cooks and Randall Cobb pan out and Will Fuller V has a breakout season, the Texans will be okay.
In addition to that, Johnson gets a fresh start and an opportunity to get back to form after being hampered with injuries. He still gives the Texans a rushing and passing threat out of the backfield.
The Arizona Cardinals won that trade regardless of what takes place. The trio of Kyler Murray, Larry Fitzgerald and Hopkins is scary and it’s going to present a lot of problems for opposing defenses.