It’s going to be a long time before the Houston Texans live down trading away one of the NFL’s best playmakers, but it appears DeAndre Hopkins couldn’t be happier with the deal.
As the 3-7 Texans were playing the first quarter of their Week 12 game at the Detroit Lions to kick off the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day schedule on Thursday, the All-Pro wide receiver tweeted what he was thankful for in 2020.
I’m thankful for the @AZCardinals believing in me enough to trade me for a 2nd rounder
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) November 26, 2020
That’s what we call a Turkey Roast.
Former Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien dealt Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro, to the Cardinals in March along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for running back David Johnson, a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder.
The Texans were widely criticized for the deal, and O’Brien was eventually fired on Oct. 5 after an 0-4 start to the campaign.
The tweet was sent as the Texans were losing to the Lions after giving up an early touchdown. Minutes after Hopkins shared his thanks, his former team capitalized on two Lions turnovers to take a 13-7 lead.
Those two turnovers included an incredible J.J. Watt pick-six.
JJ WATT PICK SIX ALERT @JJWatt @HoustonTexans
#HOUvsDET on CBS pic.twitter.com/88AkjnqUNU
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 26, 2020
The Texans took a 23-14 lead into halftime and won the game 41-25 thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Deshaun Watson to Will Fuller.
Hopkins’ Cardinals, who sit 7-3 and very much in the NFC playoff picture, travel to Foxborough this weekend to take on the New England Patriots on Sunday. Through 10 games, Hopkins leads the NFL with 912 receiving yards.
[relatedlinks]
7:33
2:22
0:59