Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins fired back at Houston Texans owner Cal McNair on Wednesday in a tweet that has since been deleted after McNair defended the controversial trade made by newly fired coach and general manager Bill O'Brien.
McNair spoke to KILT radio and defended O’Brien in his decision to trade Hopkins, arguably one of the top receivers in the league, back in March, saying it was a financial decision.
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“We would’ve loved to have Hopkins on our team, but when you have a franchise left tackle, which we re-did his contract, which by the way, he’s playing at a top-five level right now,” McNair said.
“The franchise left tackle is a huge piece of the puzzle. We have a franchise quarterback, which is what we’ve been looking for, for years, and what every team is looking for and trying to get. And we have them. And we have a very firm belief that Deshaun (Watson) is our guy. So we had those two major contracts. As you look across the league, we are paying more than anyone, and it’s not really very close on our roster.”
The team didn't have to room in the salary cap to renegotiate Hopkins' contract, McNair said.
"We moved him to a team that had the salary cap room to extend. We moved him to a team that I know the owners," MCNair said. "It’s a great ownership. We moved him to a team that has an exciting and fun offense. I think we did a good job placing him in a good place. He’s a talented, talented guy. We would love to have him, but it wasn’t going to fit financially with all the constraints that we have in operating under the salary cap. It just wasn’t possible to do at this time.”
Hopkins appeared to be annoyed with McNair’s comments, tweeting on social media that he never asked for a new deal.
“Since I am my own agent I guess I can speak on my clients departure," he initially tweeted. “Kyle you never responded to my client when he thanked you after his departure. My client never asked for a new deal he asked for a bandaid deal, which means a little raise. My client is very happy in AZ btw!”
The wide receiver would later delete the post, but it had already circulated throughout social media.
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Hopkins spent his first seven seasons with the Texans. Last year, Hopkins caught 104 passes for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns. Over the course of his career, he’s caught 632 passes for 8,602 yards and 54 touchdowns. He’s made the Pro Bowl four times and the All-Pro team three times.
The Cardinals are 2-2 but the Texans by comparison are 0-4, leading to O’Brien’s eventual dismissal.
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O’Brien took over as the team’s coach in 2014. He led the Texans to three consecutive 9-7 seasons before a 4-12 finish in 2017. The Texans were 11-5 in 2018 and 10-6 in 2019. Houston won four AFC South division titles but never made it to the AFC Championship game.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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