Houston Texans confirm DeAndre Hopkins is holding out
By Randy Gurzi
The Houston Texans have acknowledged that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is missing from camp due to his desire for a new contract
Well that escalated quickly. It was less than one week ago that ESPN’s Tania Ganguli reported that Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins wanted a new deal. The Houston based reporter added that while Hopkins did desire a new contract, he was not “consuming” himself with the negotiations.
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Then things got interesting when Hopkins wasn’t at camp with the rest of his teammates who reported on Saturday. Of course this led to speculations that “Nuk” was holding out in hopes of forcing the team’s hand in giving him a raise.
After initial reports suggested he left camp, it was later confirmed that he never actually showed up. Now more confirmation has come through as the team issued a statement about the breakout receiver.
"“We are disappointed DeAndre has elected not to report to training camp with the rest of his teammates,” said G.M. Rick Smith via Pro Football Talk. “He has expressed his position regarding his contract status, and we have been clear with both he and his representatives of ours. Our focus is on the 2016 season and all of our collective efforts and attention will be centered on that endeavor.”"
Hopkins desire to get things done before the start of the season makes sense. He is entering his fourth season in the NFL and the first-round pick from Clemson just wants the same treatment his fellow first-round teammates have gotten.
2011 first-round pick J.J. Watt received a hefty raise as he entered his fourth season in the NFL, as did 2012 first-rounder Whitney Mercilus. Hopkins most likely feels that this regime should continue to follow suit.
must read: DeAndre Hopkins Not in Camp
As for his play on the field, Hopkins is one of the best wide outs in the NFL. In 2015 he had to deal with four different quarterbacks throwing him the ball. Despite this uncertainty he was able to catch 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 scores.