Bill O'Brien: Hopkins Trade Made 'In Best Interest' of Texans

Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien said trading former Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson was "in the best interest of the team."

Talking on a town-hall meeting with season ticket holders Friday, O'Brien said the Texans "loved" Hopkins, but he said the three-time All-Pro receiver wanted a new contract, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle.

Bill O'Brien: 'It was in the best interest of our team. DeAndre Hopkins was a great football player. We loved DeAndre Hopkins He had three years left on his deal and he wanted a raise. David Johnson is going to be a great addition to our football team.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 3, 2020

Entering his seventh season with the Texans with a record of 52-44, O'Brien sent shockwaves through the NFL when he sent Hopkins and a fourth-round draft pick to the desert for an aging Johnson and two draft picks.

"We're not trying to win March," O'Brien said to the season ticket holders. "We're trying to win January. It's April. It's not November. We're trying to set up our team depth-wise talent-wise to win in January."

Still, it was a move few analysts around the league understood. Even if Hopkins wanted more money with three years left on his deal, his departure doesn't appear to make Houston better in 2020.

Bill O'Brien: 'We're excited about where we're at and where we're going. It's hard because there's a lot of noise out there, but there's a lot of things that make us excited about our organization.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 3, 2020

The Texans still have former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, at least for now, and they're looking to give him longterm protection by giving a new deal to left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

O'Brien also talked about losing defensive tackle D.J. Reader, another Clemson standout. He left in this offseason to sign a 4-year, $52 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bill O'Brien: 'We would have loved to keep D.J. Reader.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 3, 2020