GM: Texans aren't negotiating with Hopkins
Perhaps DeAndre Hopkins' brief training-camp holdout didn't have its intended effect, after all.
Reports following the superstar wide receiver's one-day absence to start the summer practice schedule indicated the Houston Texans would be open to addressing his contract situation when he made his return to the team facilities.
As general manager Rick Smith explained Saturday, though, there aren't any such discussions being held.
"There is not a negotiation happening at this point," Smith said in an appearance on NFL Network. "He's under contract for two more years. It was a holdout that weighed him down. He expressed his feelings about his desire to have a new contract. If you look around our locker room, we've been pretty consistent with taking care of our players ... We have every intention of keeping him."
Hopkins' holdout was, of course, never about the fact that his contract was two seasons away from reaching its end. Having established himself as one of the NFL's premier receivers, the 24-year-old understandably seeking a deal that pays him an amount that far exceeds the $1-million base salary he's set to earn in 2016.
The Texans could conceivably opt to open negotiations at some point before Week 1, but it now appears possible they'll be able to proceed with Hopkins on the books as an absolute steal.
Hammering out an extension before the fifth-and-final year of that agreement would presumably then become more of a priority for Houston's front-office staff.
Barring a monumental drop off from his 2015 production, Hopkins is almost certainly in line to become one of the highest-paid players at some point before he's scheduled to hit free agency.
The former first-round pick racked up 111 receptions for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns last year despite some incredibly underwhelming play from the quarterback spot.
Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green currently owns the top wide receiver contract in terms of annual average salary after signing a four-year, $60-million extension last fall.