HOUSTON -- Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins' numbers in his first four NFL seasons are impressive -- 317 catches for 4,487 yards and 23 touchdowns.

And he did that despite the quarterback carousel that has been in Houston since he was the Texans' first-round pick in 2013. Hopkins has caught a touchdown pass from eight different quarterbacks in his first four seasons. According to Elias, the only other player in NFL history to do that through his first four NFL seasons was Jim Benton with the Cleveland Rams from 1938 to 1942 (he did not play in the NFL in 1941).

Hopkins was rewarded for that success on Thursday when he signed a five-year contract extension worth $81 million, with $49 million guaranteed. The guaranteed money is the largest for any wide receiver in the NFL.

Hopkins has already climbed the Texans' all-time receiving ranks in his first four seasons: he's third in franchise history in receiving yards and fourth in receptions and receiving touchdowns.

Hopkins' breakout season came in 2015, when he had 111 catches for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last year, his production dipped -- he finished the season with 78 catches for 954 yards and four touchdowns -- with quarterback Brock Osweiler throwing him the ball.

In 2016, Hopkins had 42 fewer targets than the year before, although he told ESPN's Dan Graziano that it didn't faze him.

"I wouldn't say I was frustrated," Hopkins said. "We were winning. We didn't win the ultimate goal, but we gave the Patriots one of their closest games of the whole season and biggest challenges that they had. So I would be selfish on my part to say I was frustrated with my team going to the second round of the playoffs and almost beating the Patriots."

And now, the Texans hope that some stability at quarterback from Tom Savage will get Hopkins back to his 2015 production. During training camp, Texans head coach O'Brien said praised Hopkins, saying that he's "a dynamic player. He can make great catches. He's got incredible hands. He can jump. He knows our system, we can move him around a lot.

"I don't think people talk about his hands enough. This guy's got great hands. He's got good feet on the sideline. He's got a lot of good things going for him."

Since joining the NFL in 2013, Hopkins has been a very reliable target. According to ESPN Stats & Information, (minimum 200 receptions) Hopkins has the fourth-best drop percentage (1.6) and the fourth-most first-down receptions (234).

During training camp, Hopkins told ESPN that he "put the stamp on Savage" as his starting quarterback. The duo spent a lot of time together this offseason on and off the field, working to build chemistry.

The Texans enter the season without much depth at receiver after Will Fuller V broke his collarbone during training camp. Hopkins has not practiced since the Texans' first preseason game on Aug. 9 but is expected to be back for the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Braxton Miller is dealing with an ankle injury and Jaelen Strong will miss Week 1 after he was suspended for his February 2016 arrest for illegal possession of marijuana.

With the $49 million guaranteed and an offense that needs to take a step forward from its struggles a season ago, the Texans are clearly counting on Hopkins to be back near his 2015 levels in 2017.