Aaron Rodgers angling for a DeAndre Hopkins acquisition?
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers appeared on Bill Simmons’ Any Given Wednesday recently and levied out high praise for superstar Houston Texan DeAndre Hopkins. Rodgers chose Hopkins as the first receiver he would pick for an Olympic football team.
Is this objective admiration from the future Hall-of-Famer, or is Rodgers angling at something?
AROUND COVER32
2016 Preview: Comeback player of the year candidates
Twitter Tuesday: Torrey Smith speaks out for public breastfeeding
Fantasy Football: How Goodell set up your draft
NFL: Ranking the ten scariest defensive players
The Green Bay Packers’ offense struggled mightily last season in comparison to the high-powered standard they had established in previous seasons. This was due in large part to an injured Jordy Nelson and a rotund Eddie Lacy, but the Pack’s offensive shortcomings were also the result of Randall Cobb being exposed.
When Jordy went down in the preseason, I assumed that Cobb would be able to seamlessly step into the number one receiver spot and have an opportunity to be even more productive than ever. I was wrong. Though he played all 16 games last season, he only accumulated 829 receiving yards and six touchdowns. It seems like Cobb can be most productive when the defense’s attention is focused some place other than his side of the field. This is not to say that Cobb is a bad player, but perhaps he is better suited as a complementary player.
How much longer is Jordy Nelson going to the guy whom Cobb is complementing? Ideally, two more seasons.
That’s how much longer DeAndre Hopkins is under contract in Houston.
Jordy Nelson has plenty working against him in this scenario. First and most obviously of all, he is coming off of a major knee surgery. Such surgeries can hamper any player’s ability to produce, but they especially affect the ability of a receiver to cut in and out of routes and to maximize their vertical speed (which is Jordy’s best attribute). Secondly, he is 31 years old. Nelson is going to start slowing down whether last year’s injury affects him or not.
Financially, it makes sense for Green Bay to part ways with Jordy when Hopkins’ contract is up in Houston. At that point, he will be 33 years old, in his final contract year, and a $9.25M cap hit.
Does all of this make sense for DeAndre Hopkins?
In many ways, yes. If Hopkins wants to avoid becoming another Andre Johnson, the best plan might be to evacuate Houston. Johnson has been one of the most, if not the most, dominant receiver over the past decade, but he has just one playoff victory to show for it. If 2015 was any indication, Hopkins is on a similar statistical path. Houston has to take next step, or else it may behoove DeAndre to look elsewhere for championship opportunities.
Green Bay simply being Green Bay, with all its history, success, notoriety, will no doubt entice the Houston Texans wide out. Throw in the guarantee of an all-time great quarterback slinging the ball his way for the majority of whatever mega-deal Hopkins will sign, and you have a pretty sweet situation on your hands if you’re a fifth-year wide receiver entering his prime.
It would also be a sweet situation for Aaron Rodgers whom may be strategically doling out praise to a future teammate.
The post Aaron Rodgers angling for a DeAndre Hopkins acquisition? appeared first on Cover32.
