Cardinals set to seal blockbuster trade for Texans' All Pro DeAndre Hopkins

The Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans have reportedly agreed to a blockbuster trade with one of the league’s best receivers, DeAndre Hopkins, set to leave the team he has played with for his entire career.

The trade, first reported by ESPN, will see the 27-year-old leave Houston for Arizona with the Cardinals sending running back David Johnson and a second-round draft pick to the Texans in return. Hopkins, who has been named a first-team All Pro the past three years, is still in the prime of his career and has recorded 1,000 yards receiving in five of his last six seasons.

The move will be a blow to the Texans quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Together he and Hopkins were potent offensive weapons on a team that has won the AFC South for four of the past five seasons. However, Houston are set to lose two running backs, Lamar Miller and Carlos Hyde, in the upcoming free agency period. Johnson was named to the Pro Bowl after a breakout year in 2018 but injuries and loss of form have since lessened his impact.

The move could be an exciting one for Johnson though, who will team up with Kyler Murray, the No1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The Cardinals quarterback was named the NFL offensive rookie of the year after an impressive first year in the league, during which he kickstarted a team that has not had a winning season since 2015.

Elsewhere in the league on Monday, the Cowboys placed quarterback Dak Prescott under an exclusive franchise tag. It means he cannot talk to other teams while the Cowboys decide on his long-term future. He will earn between $30m and $33m while under the tag. Also on Monday, the Tennessee Titans applied the franchise tag to running back Derrick Henry, who led the league in rushing last year. The news came the day after the Titans agreed a four-year deal with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Together Henry and Tannehill were a huge part of the Titans’ march to the AFC championship game last year.

source: theguardian.com