5 worst moves of NFL Free Agency so far

1. Texans trading DeAndre Hopkins

The idea of trading DeAndre Hopkins is actually a defensible move. He’s a 27-year-old receiver that is looking for one more massive contract before his skills start to decline in his 30s. Texans officials can at least make a credible claim that it’s possible his age related decline has already begun.

The idea of trading Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round draft pick in exchange for running back David Johnson, a 2021 fourth-round choice and a 2020 second-round pick is not a defensible move. It’s easily the worst move of the offseason so far.

Johnson is a negative asset given his current contract status. That means that, at best, Hopkins was judged to have a value equivalent to the difference in a second and fourth round draft pick. That’s such a ridiculous miscalculation of the receiver’s value that general manager Bill O’Brien should be fired on the spot.

If the Texans had actually bothered to gauge the market for Hopkins they could have realistically hoped to garner a first round pick for his services. Star wideouts don’t grow on trees. Quite a few teams would have been more than willing to part with a draft pick for the privilege of signing Hopkins to a bumper new contract.

It’s hard to imagine another team making a worse personnel move. It’s not impossible, but O’Brien and the Texans have set the bar on ineptitude at an amazing height.