Just hours after the Arizona Cardinals placed the transition tag on running back Kenyan Drake, news broke Monday morning of the team sending David Johnson to the Houston Texans in exchange for Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Many aren’t surprised seeing Johnson dealt this off-season considering his salary and the fact his role, and production, shrunk significantly in Kliff Kingbury’s offense in 2019.
Johnson rushed for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2016 but played only one game in 2017 after suffering a dislocated left wrist. The past two seasons netted less than 1300 rushing yards and just nine touchdowns.
The Texans will pay all of Johnson’s salary moving forward. He signed a three-year, $39 million extension in 2018 with cap hits $10.2 million in 2020 and and $7.9 million in 2021.
In Hopkins, the Cards get one of the top receivers in the NFL who has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards each of the past three seasons. In his seven seasons with Houston, “Nuke” tallied 8.602 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns. The sure-handed deep threat has only five career lost fumbles and gives both Kingsbury and second-year quarterback Kyler Murray a tremendous offensive piece to work with moving forward.
The 27-year-old Hopkins is set to make $14 million in 2020, $15 million in 2021, and just under $14 million in 2022.
Eric Sorenson
