GM Smith: Texans will 'take care' of Hopkins' contract

The Houston Texans aren't planning on letting DeAndre Hopkins walk out the door.

Hopkins began training camp with a short holdout and requesting a new contract, but returned to the facility after the Texans refused to enter negotiations.

The 24-year-old is in his first year of eligibility to re-negotiate his contract, which prompted the receiver to request a higher salary than the $1.45 million he's scheduled to earn this season.

Now that he's back in the building, general manager Rick Smith says it's only a matter of time before he gets paid.

"He's got a great attitude," Smith told SiriusXM NFL radio. "He's a leader on this football team. He's a heck of a football player. I think when he looks around our locker room, he sees that we take care of our good young players. We try to draft effectively and we try to keep our good young football players.

"I think he knows that, he has confidence that we will take care of him at the appropriate time and we plan to do that."

The fourth-year pro led the Texans' offense last year, catching 111 balls for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns in his second-straight season with at least 1,200 yards.