The Arizona Cardinals have been praised for more than a year for the trade that landed them receiver DeAndre Hopkins last offseason. Now it has been officially named the best sports move of the year.
At the MIT Sports Analytics Conference, the trade has received the Alpha Award for “Best Sports Transaction of the Year.”
Last March, the Cardinals traded running back David Johnson, their 2020 second-round draft pick and their 2021 fourth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for Hopkins and Houston’s fourth-round selection last year.
The Cardinals improved from 5-10-1 to 8-8 with Hopkins on the team.
Hopkins set a franchise record with 115 receptions in 2020 and was second in the league in catches. He was third in the league in receiving yards with 1,407 and second with seven 100-yard games last season.
On top of that, he had the play of the year when he caught the 43-yard “Mail Murray” touchdown pass from quarterback Kyler Murray to beat the Buffalo Bills in the final seconds of the game.
The play was named the Clutch Performance Play of the Year.
There was no question Hopkins’ addition was a great football move. It is great to see that it is also considered a great analytical move.
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