The Houston Texans reportedly will be without their best players on both sides of the ball as training camp opens.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has left the team’s training camp and is holding out for a new contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday morning. The Texans, according to Schefter, aren’t negotiating with Hopkins at the moment.
Hopkins has two years remaining on his rookie contract and is set to earn $1 million this season, a bargain considering his monster 2015 campaign. The 24-year-old Clemson product finished third in the NFL with 1,521 receiving yards while catching 11 touchdown passes, and he was the clear offensive star on a mediocre Houston offense that ranked 19th in the league in total yards per game.
With new quarterback Brock Osweiler taking over the reins, signing Hopkins should be a top priority for the Texans, even if they’ll have to give him a hefty raise. For now, Hopkins will be subject to $40,000 fines for every day of training camp he misses, per Schefter.
All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt is expected to miss training camp while recovering from back surgery, and with Hopkins’ contract situation now unclear, Houston faces a whole lot of uncertainty as it enters the 2016 season.
Thumbnail photo via Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports Images
