Let's start with
Johnson, who should have had negative trade value, especially after the Cardinals
slapped the transition tag on
Kenyan Drake earlier this morning. Johnson is now three years removed from his only productive NFL season. He missed almost the entire 2017 season with a wrist injury and has been a replacement-level back over the last two seasons.
Johnson would likely be in line to get a one-year deal in the $2 million range if he hit the open market. Instead, his $10.2 million base salary is already guaranteed for 2020, and $2.1 million of his base salary in 2021 guarantees in five days. Throw in $960,000 in per-game roster bonuses and
the Texans are on the hook for more than $13 million for Johnson over the next 12 months.
Instead of sending a third-round pick to ship off Johnson, the Cardinals somehow managed to ship off Johnson by swapping fourth-round picks with the Texans. When you consider that the Texans are sending their 2020 fourth-rounder and getting a 2021 fourth-rounder in return, most teams would actually consider the pick swap a win for the Cardinals.
I honestly admire Arizona general manager Steve Keim's audacity in even asking to swap fourth-rounders; it's as if someone offered you $1,000 for your VHS copy of "Mr. Deeds" and you asked that person for more before saying yes.
...
That half of the deal alone is a disaster for the Texans. The other half -- shipping out an unquestioned, bona fide star at wide receiver for the 40th pick in the draft -- is somehow even worse. I don't need to tell you how good Hopkins is, but remember that he was even posting huge numbers while O'Brien was saddling him with anonymous tall quarterbacks like
Ryan Mallett,
Tom Savage and
Brock Osweiler, let alone once
Deshaun Watson got there.
We saw what the market for a franchise wide receiver on a second contract looks like last year when the Giants traded
Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns. Hopkins has a better off-field reputation and has been both healthier and more productive than OBJ, although Beckham was a year younger when he was dealt. The Browns sent the 17th and 95th picks and a starting strong safety,
Jabrill Peppers, to acquire Beckham. The Texans are getting the 40th pick from the Cardinals for Hopkins.