JJ Watt raves about former teammate DeAndre Hopkins for scoring big with Patrick Mahomes
The Tennessee Titans trading DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City on Oct. 24 worked in the Chiefs Kingdom's favor. The wide receiver's chemistry with the team's star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, was especially strong.
Hopkins caught eight passes for 86 yards and scored two touchdowns, leading the Chiefs, who aim for a three-peat this season, to a 30–24 win over the Buccaneers.
Former NFL DE JJ Watt, who played alongside DeAndre Hopkins in the Texans for seven years and next in the Arizona Cardinals for two years, was thrilled by Hopkins’ impactful performance during the Chiefs versus Raiders game.
In the latest segment of the Pat McAfee Show, he said Hopkins’ trade was a smart move by the Chiefs.
Having experienced the trade process firsthand, it was truly special for Watt to witness his former teammate keep up with three-time Super Bowl champion Mahomes.
"I was texting with Hop yesterday a little bit—it's fun for me to see him playing with Mahomes," Watt said. "Like, I haven't been with Hop for his whole career, knowing how many quarterbacks he's been with and some of those teams we were on."
DeAndre Hopkins and JJ Watt lifted four AFC South titles together
Watt and Hopkins first became teammates in 2013 when Hopinks was drafted by the Houston Texans. During their tenure in Houston between 2013-19, Watt and Hopkins led the team to four AFC South titles.
However, their partnership took a brief hiatus when Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. But as fate would have it, Watt joined Hopkins in the Cardinals as a free agent the following year.
Responding to this in an interview with ESPN, Hopkins said:
"Destined. I guess we were supposed to be on the same team."
Compared to their stint in the Texans, Watt and Hopkins' playing time only lasted two years when the former DE retired from the league.
Unfortunately, Hopkins was released the following year before briefly joining the Tennessee Titans and eventually getting traded to the Chiefs.
Considering the unpredictability of NFL trades—the highs and the lows—Watt concluded by saying:
“That's why it's great, man. There's still a human element to this thing where people are pulling the triggers, they're on the phones, and every one of us can look at it and be like, "What?" But somebody was like, "Yeah, sign me up."
Hopkins once said that he and Watt were "destined" to play together.