In January, Bill O’Brien officially added the title of “general manager of the Houston Texans” to his previous job as head coach. It was a consolidation of power, sort of like his mentor Bill Belichick has up in New England.
On Monday, the first day of legal tampering in the NFL free agent derby, he made his most significant, and perhaps long-term defining, deal.
And it’s a head-scratcher.
O’Brien traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round draft pick to Arizona for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick this year and a fourth-rounder in 2021.