After the DeAndre Hopkins trade stunned the NFL world during this season’s free agency, it was only a matter of time before Texans General Manager Bill O’Brien came out of the wood work to try and explain it away.
But it was doubtful he would ever be able to make it look like he knew what he was doing when he lost one of the top receivers in the league for an injury prone running back.
To nobody’s surprise, he came out with all the classics you would expect from a coach facing scrutiny.
In a conference call with Texans season-ticket holders, per ESPN, he said: “I would say the deal with Arizona was a deal we felt was in the best interest of our team.
“DeAndre Hopkins was a great football player here.
“He made so many plays for us. We love DeAndre Hopkins. But he had three years left on his deal and he wanted a raise.
“And we weren’t going to be able to go in that direction. We felt like we had a great offer from Arizona that involved picks.
“That involved an excellent three-down running back who is hungry and humble and just can’t wait to get srarted.
“David Johnson is going to be a great addition to our football team.”
Once more with feeling O’Brien – say it like you mean it if that’s really what you believe about the DeAndre Hopkins trade.
He was supported by Texans CEO Cal McNair and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby.
McNair said: “Our team’s getting better through free agency.
“You can’t look at any one move, but you’ve got to put them all together and you really need to look at things over the last 18 months or so to see how the team has changed and how we’ll continue to change.”
READ MORE: Why O’Brien is wasting Deshaun Watson’s career
Let’s really think about that reasoning. DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best – arguably the best – wide receiver in the league right now.
He was certainly the best player on the Houston Texans before he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.
Given this, he’s not on money anywhere near the likes of Amari Cooper or Julio Jones who are both set to make more than $20 million this season.
Hopkins’ contract with the Texans would have made him the 11th highest paid at his position. With the Cardinals, he’s now 8th on $16.2 million, per USA Today.
Is Hopkins asking for a pay rise so outrageous that he deserved to be traded? I really don’t think so.
And for O’Brien to make out like the team is actually better off is laughable. Who is he trying to kid?
The Cardinals didn’t even want Johnson as a starter – he was their third best running back and prone to injury.
He traded away one of the weapons that always guarantees the Texans remain competitive and is now leaving quarterback Deshaun Watson with a limited arsenal.
Rumours of a rift between the two were rife in the days following the trade and it would have been more worthy of respect if he had just held his hands up and said it was a clash in personalities.
This cliche platitudes from the front office being forced on us all just shows disdain for the Texans fan base who will surely see through the spin.
DeAndre Hopkins trade left fans reeling
Fans were already calling for his head after he helped the Texans blow a 24-point lead in the playoffs.
After the DeAndre Hopkins trade, fans launched a petition which tens of thousands rushed to sign.
It will take a miracle of a season for them to get behind their team’s head coach and general manager.
What do you think about the DeAndre Hopkins trade? Has Bill O’Brien lost the plot? Does he deserve to go?
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