For the first time since 2003, receiver Andre Johnson plays for a team other than the Texans. And the receiver who arrived in Houston via round one a decade after Johnson isn’t inclined to talk about his one-time mentor.
Asked by reporters on the first day of the offseason program to discuss what it’s like not having Johnson on the team, DeAndre Hopkins said, “No comment.”
Asked later about being the No. 1 receiver with Johnson now gone, Hopkins said, “No comment.”
When the question didn’t include Johnson’s name, Hopkins said plenty. For example, when asked to explain how it feels to be a leader of the receivers this year, Hopkins said, “It feels great. My motto is I’m going to go out and work every day no matter who is here. It’s a mentality that I always play with since I’ve been playing football.”
Later, when asked about helping new receivers learn the ropes, Hopkins managed to avoid saying Johnson’s name, referring to him only by number.
“I told those guys they could come to me,” Hopkins said. “Coaches are going to help them transition into this offense, but a lot of wide receivers in there look up to me because we don’t have 80 here anymore. I like that chip on my shoulder.”
The phrase “chip on my shoulder” doesn’t really apply in this specific context, but given Hopkins’ reluctance to answer questions mentioning Johnson and Hopkins’ decision to not even refer to Johnson by name hints at some possible tension between the former face of the franchise and the first-round pick who eventually supplanted him.
