Top 10 NFL stories of 2020: 5-1

It's been a crazy year on and off the field, to put it lightly. As we flip the page on 2020, we're reflecting on the NFL stories we'll remember most from the last 12 months:

10-6 | 5-1

5. Texans trade Hopkins to Cardinals

DeAndre Hopkins was widely hailed as one of the NFL's best receivers when the Houston Texans abruptly sent him to the Arizona Cardinals on the opening day of free agency. Still three months shy of his 28th birthday, Hopkins was a three-time All-Pro and had just recorded his fourth 1,000-yard campaign in five years. Nonetheless, Bill O'Brien jettisoned him for veteran running back David Johnson and a second-round pick.

The stories that surfaced following the blockbuster deal were as stunning as the trade itself: O'Brien reportedly believed Hopkins held too much influence in the locker room while Hopkins told NFL Network's Michael Irvin that O'Brien compared him to convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez in a private meeting. The sideline boss later said Hopkins' contract demands fueled the trade.

Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Hopkins quickly made a splash in Arizona, leading the league in receiving yards through the first half of the season and later registering his sixth career 1,000-yard campaign. The wideout also supplied the year's most memorable play, catching a game-winning Hail Mary over three Buffalo Bills defenders in Week 10.

O'Brien was universally criticized for the move - especially given the underwhelming return. The Texans wound up firing him as both GM and head coach five games into the 2020 season.

4. Broncos play with 0 QBs

It felt like a scene out of a movie: With kickoff roughly 24 hours away, the NFL directed the Denver Broncos to remove all their quarterbacks from the practice field and declared each one ineligible to play against the New Orleans Saints due to COVID-19 protocol.

Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles had all been deemed high-risk close contacts of Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. The Broncos lobbied the league to postpone the game in an attempt to get at least one of their signal-callers back, but the NFL denied their requests.

AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Denver Post / Getty

Given the multi-day incubation period for free agents in light of the ongoing pandemic, Denver had no choice but to play without a signal-caller. The team promoted Kendall Hinton, a practice-squad wide receiver who had quarterback experience in college, to take most of the snaps on game day. Hinton went 1-for-9 for 13 yards and two interceptions and the Broncos lost 31-3 in a game that was too surreal to look away from.

3. The year of Mahomes

Raise your hand if you won a Super Bowl, were the MVP of said Super Bowl, signed a $503-million contract, and purchased a stake in the Kansas City Royals over the last 365 days. Unless Patrick Mahomes is reading this, none of us fit that bill.

Mahomes started the year in style, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 24-point comeback over the Texans in the AFC divisional round. At one point in the matchup, the Chiefs scored a touchdown on seven straight drives. In the AFC Championship Game the next week, Mahomes dug K.C. out of a 10-point ditch against the Tennessee Titans. In Super Bowl LIV, the prodigy put together three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to climb out of a 10-point hole against the San Francisco 49ers and deliver the Chiefs' first title in 50 years.

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With an MVP, a Lombardi Trophy, and a Super Bowl MVP already on his mantle before his 25th birthday, Kansas City had no reservations about handing Mahomes the richest contract in sports history. The franchise signed him to a 10-year extension in July, giving him a chance to earn $503 million over the next 12 seasons.

The young field general had no problem living up to new expectations, picking up in September where he had left off in the Super Bowl. Mahomes topped the NFL in passing yardage for the first time in his career in 2020 (the final game of the regular season takes place in 2021) and is in the running to win his second MVP award in three years.

2. Washington retires Redskins name

To the disappointment of Indigenous groups, Dan Snyder spent years refusing to drop the Redskins name from his NFL franchise in Washington. The owner even went as far as to say, "We will never change the name of the team" in 2013, pointing to the history of the club he cherished since childhood. While Indigenous communities said the name was racist, Snyder countered that it celebrated them.

The criticism Snyder received for his stance rarely appeared to bother him, but that began to change in the summer of 2020 when marquee sponsors like FedEx and Pepsi called for him to rename the team. On July 3, the organization said it would "undergo a thorough review of the team's name." Ten days later, the club announced it would retire the Redskins name, which had been used since 1933 when the franchise was located in Boston.

Will Newton / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With little time to trademark a new name and logo and get it printed on jerseys and merchandise, the organization decided to call itself the Washington Football Team for at least the 2020 season. The moniker initially sounded bizarre, but the nameless name began to grow on fans over time. Washington still hasn't decided on a new name and has left the door open to possibly remain the Football Team in the future.

1. Brady leaves Patriots for Buccaneers

For two decades, nobody could have imagined Tom Brady wearing a uniform that didn't belong to the New England Patriots. The 43-year-old won six Super Bowls and three MVPs in Foxborough, building an unprecedented 20-year dynasty alongside head coach Bill Belichick.

However, that all changed on March 17 when Brady revealed he wouldn't re-sign in New England. Despite hints that his time with the Patriots was running out - he negotiated an automatic contract void on a restructured deal in August 2019 and put his Boston-area house on the market shortly thereafter - Brady's announcement stunned the NFL world. Three days later, he inked a two-year, $50-million pact with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Tampa Bay began building an apparent superteam once he arrived in the Sunshine State. Already stocked with skill players, the club lured Rob Gronkowski out of retirement and acquired him from New England, signed LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette before the season, and brought in Antonio Brown at the end of his eight-week suspension.

Whether all the moves pay off remains to be seen. The Buccaneers have looked disjointed in Brady's debut season at times, but Tampa is preparing to enter the playoffs for the first time since 2007. How the next 12 months unfold could lead to one of the top NFL stories in 2021 ... stay tuned.

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