Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury: 'No Concern' DeAndre Hopkins Trade Falls Through

The Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans are yet to formally announce their blockbuster DeAndre Hopkins trade, but Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury has no worries the deal will eventually get done.

"There is no concern. We'll get it done. I have no doubts it'll be done before the draft," Kingsbury said Tuesday, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals official website.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted that neither Hopkins nor David Johnson, who was sent to Houston, have passed their physicals. It's at least theoretically possible that one side could back out of the agreement over the physical, though that's far more likely from the Texans side than Arizona.

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien was roundly criticized for the compensation Houston received in exchange for Hopkins, who is one of the best three or four receivers in football. The Cardinals sent away only Johnson (an overpaid running back), a second-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round selection in exchange for Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Many saw the trade as baffling, given nearly every top-level receiver on the market has fetched a first-round pick in trade talks. The Buffalo Bills gave up a first for Stefon Diggs, an inferior receiver to Hopkins, last month.

O'Brien defended the trade earlier this week. 

“It was in the best interest of our team,” O’Brien said, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “DeAndre Hopkins was a great football player. We loved DeAndre Hopkins. He had three years left on his deal, and he wanted a raise.”

After quotes like these, it's near-impossible that any trade would get held up. If anything, the trade may be reworked if Johnson does not fully pass his physical—with the Cardinals probably giving up nominal draft pick compensation.