Tyrann Mathieu sees 'something special' for Arizona Cardinals after DeAndre Hopkins trade

Tyrann Mathieu shared his thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals' trade for DeAndre Hopkins with the Houston Texans on ESPN's First Take this week.

The Kansas City Chiefs safety can offer a unique perspective on the deal.

After all, Mathieu is familiar with both teams.

He was a teammate of Hopkins' on the Texans in 2017 and played his first five seasons in the NFL with the Cardinals.

Mathieu said he was very surprised about Hopkins getting traded to Arizona.

“I was probably just as shocked as everybody else,” Mathieu told ESPN's First Take. “I really couldn’t imagine DeAndre Hopkins not retiring in a Texans uniform. I spent a season with him a couple years ago, and he’s probably everything you want in a player, especially a teammate — not only the things he does on the football field Monday nights, Thursday nights, Sunday nights. It’s the kind of impact he had in the community as well. He was one of these guys that was always out there. He was very vocal about — especially the voiceless."

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The Cardinals on Monday traded running back David Johnson to the Texans in exchange for Hopkins, a four-time All-Pro who widely is considered to be one of the top two or three receivers in the league.

The Cardinals sent their second-round pick in this year’s draft, along with a fourth-round selection in 2021, to the Texans for Hopkins and a fourth-round pick this year. The Texans agreed to pick up all of Johnson’s salary, which has cap hits of $10.2 million this year and $7.9 million in 2021.

The trade was met with surprise throughout the league.

Mathieu told First Take that he sees something special in Arizona with Hopkins on the Cardinals.

"He gave a lot of people hope in Houston, so to see him go is definitely shocking, but to see him unite with his greatest mentor in Larry Fitzgerald, I’m pretty sure those guys are going to do something special in Arizona,” he said.

Mathieu also shared his thoughts on Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and other NFL topics on his appearance on First Take, which can be watched below.

Last year, Mathieu created a firestorm on social media when he tweeted for David Johnson, his former teammate, to "Come to KC."

Johnson went to Houston in the trade for Hopkins.