Houston Texans not talking contract extension with DeAndre Hopkins
Despite the early holdout, the Houston Texans are not ready to negotiate a new contract with star WR DeAndre Hopkins.
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DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and he is ready to be paid like it. That being said, the Houston Texans do not appear to be in any sort of hurry to negotiate a contract extension with the team.
Texans’ general manager Rick Smith made that completely clear on NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp Live, via NFL.com.
“There is not a negotiation happening at this point,” Smith said. “He’s under contract for two more years.”
Hopkins did not report to Texans’ camp on time, skipping the first day to voice his displeasure over his contract. However, it did not take him long to report, missing only one day.
Hopkins is coming off of a breakout 2015 season where he caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was the clear focal point of the Texans’ offense and was named a second-team NFL All-Pro selection.
A ridiculously talented receiver with massive jump-ball and big-play ability on the outside, Hopkins is quickly becoming one of the best receivers in the NFL. However, his contract does not currently reflect that.
Still being paid under his rookie deal, Hopkins is set to make a base salary of only $1 million in 2016. He is set to get a nice boost to nearly $8 million next season, but I do not blame Hopkins for wanting to get paid what he is worth.
That being said, there is not much he can do at this point. Being under contract for two more seasons, the Texans have no reason to make extending Hopkins a priority.
That being said, if the star receiver comes out and performs as well as he did last season, he will get his due soon enough.