The Houston Texans have been fortunate to have had some prolific players don their uniform, and DeAndre Hopkins’ prime stands up against the best of them.
Hopkins recently said the he still considers Houston “home,” but that does not mean that he reflects fondly on every aspect of his seven-year tenure. That much was evident by Hopkins’ recent activity on social media.
It is a reminder of who much goes into some of the most polarizing decisions in the NFL.
DeAndre Hopkins Takes Shot at Former Texans GM Jack Easterby
GettyDeAndre Hopkins threw shade at former Houston Texans executive Jack Easterby.
Hopkins joined the latest trend of celebrities doing mock sit-downs for faux documentaries highlighting specific moments in their lives, and the Texans great stirred the pot with a reference to former executive Jack Easterby.
“Preparing for the Netflix documentary on why I don’t start nothing, I just finished it,” Hopkins captioned the video posted on TikTok on July 11.
In another version, Hopkins said it was about “surviving a pastor turned NFL General Manager.”
Easterby spent two years with the Texans, rising to executive vice president of football operations. He was part of the contingent that pushed for the Texans to trade Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.
Hopkins replied with a laughing face emoji to a report about the Texans fired Easterby after they got off to a 1-3-1 start in 2022.
Hopkins also amplified Hall of Famer and fellow Texans legend Andre Johnson.
Johnson offered strong support for former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson when the now-Cleveland Brown grew disenchanted with the organization in Houston. The Texans traded Watson to the Browns in 2022.
Jack Easterby Pushed for DeAndre Hopkins Trade
GettyDeAndre Hopkins’ tenure with the Houston Texans ended in 2020.
The Texans selected Hopkins 27th overall in the 2013 draft, and he went on to become the franchise’s second-most prolific wide receiver, behind only Johnson.
So, it came as a culture shock when the Texans decided to trade Hopkins.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop, former head coach Bill O’Brien was in the camp of moving Hopkins, but Easterby had led the charge for some time, having never gotten close with the five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first team All-Pro.
“The same sources who recounted Easterby’s perceived coldness to Hopkins say it went further: They describe Easterby as the first, and most persistent, advocate for the team’s trading the receiver out of Houston. One of these people recalls hearing Easterby saying about Hopkins in front of small groups of people on multiple occasions in 2019, ‘We need to move on from that person,’ without using his name. Another recalls learning that the Texans discussed trading Hopkins as early as the summer of 2019,” Vrentas and Bishop wrote in Dec 2020.
“Hopkins’s trade left a void in the Texans’ offense and in the locker room. The receiver often led a call and response when breaking down meetings, calling out ‘Glory!’ to which his teammates would respond ‘Hallelujah!’ Watson carried on that tradition this season as a nod to his former teammate, and Hopkins agreed to a two-year extension with the Cardinals.”
It is not difficult to understand why Hopkins would still hold some resentment toward Easterby, even if the ex-Texans star has moved on.
Jack Easterby Did Texans Big Favor
GettyNick Caserio has built one of the NFL’s best defenses with the Houston Texans.
One of Easterby’s most controversial moves has ended up being one of the best that the Texans have ever made as a franchise, even with his decision on Hopkins among those marring the tenure as a whole.
That was the Texans going against the findings of a search firm they employed and deciding to hire one of Easterby’s former New England Patriots co-horts for the GM vacancy.
Current GM Nick Caserio was that hire.
Caserio has built the Texans into one of the best teams in the NFL, particularly on defense, and hired a strong leader in head coach DeMeco Ryans to orchestrate it. Fittingly, one of the few voids on the current Texans is the lack of a reliable third wide receiver.
Hopkins remains a free agent, and he would make for a fitting addition to a Texans team that could challenge for Super Bowl contention if their offense can catch up to their defense.
DeAndre Hopkins Throws Shade at Former Texans Executive