The Houston Texans are currently not scheduled to have any picks in the top 50 of this year’s NFL Draft or the 2021 Draft, and they may look for ways to remedy that situation over the next several weeks. Could a trade involving DeAndre Hopkins be one possible option?
Executives from two teams told Peter King of NBC Sports that they believe the Texans could entertain the idea of trading Hopkins. In addition to not having a top-50 draft pick in 2020 or 2021, Houston also has several needs to fill and could potentially fill one in addition to acquiring a high draft pick if they trade Hopkins.
Hopkins has three years and $40 million remaining on his contract, which is a bargain considering his production. The 28-year-old has 31 touchdown receptions over the past three seasons and has eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in five of the last six years. Hopkins is one of the premier wide receivers in football, but he makes significantly less than players like Julio Jones ($22 million per year) and Michael Thomas ($19 million per year). As King notes, the Texans would also only have to absorb a $3 million salary cap hit if they traded Hopkins.
Deals of that magnitude are always unlikely, but the idea makes sense. We can think of one team that certainly has a glaring need for a player like Hopkins, though the Texans probably would be hesitant to trade one of their best players within the same conference.
