The Cardinals landed one of the best wide receivers in the NFL when they got DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans. But the Cardinals weren’t the only team involved in trade talks surrounding Hopkins.
The Eagles also talked to the Texans but decided against trading for Hopkins, based both on what the Texans were asking for and what Hopkins wanted in a new contract, Adam Schefter said on 97.5 The Fanatic.
What the Texans got for Hopkins seems shockingly minuscule: Houston got running back David Johnson (who was a candidate to get cut by the Cardinals), plus a second-round draft pick and an exchange of fourth-round picks. It’s surprising that the Cardinals only had to give that up for Hopkins -- and surprising that the Eagles and other teams didn’t offer the Texans more to secure Hopkins’ services.
Unless, of course, Hopkins is making contractual demands that teams simply can’t justify paying. We know that Hopkins and the Cardinals will renegotiate his contract, but we don’t know exactly what Hopkins is demanding, or whether he has privately told teams that he won’t show up without a new deal. What we do know is that the Cardinals added one of the best playmakers in football, and didn’t have to give up a lot to out-bid the other teams that were interested.