New Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is ready to silence the haters once and for all.
DeAndre Hopkins finally decided where he's going to play football next season. The 31-year-old wideout signed a two-year contract worth up to $32 million with the Tennessee Titans, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. The deal reunites him with former Texans coaches Mike Vrabel and Tim Kelly.
For Tennessee, the impetus behind the move is simple: get Ryan Tannehill a proven receiver to counterbalance Derrick Henry in the Titans' run-based offense. For Hopkins, there's built-in familiarity with the coaching staff and the opportunity to headline a receiving corps.
While many hoped Hopkins would join a more high-profile contender like Kansas City or Buffalo, he opted for money and role over the clearest path to a ring. He understands some will disagree with that decision, but he's more ready than ever to embrace the 'haters.'
DeAndre Hopkins embraces haters in first tweet with Tennessee Titans
Hopkins has probably never faced more blatant disrespect and doubt than he will face with Tennessee next season. A lot of those doubters are justified: Hopkins is coming off two straight injury-shortened seasons. He posted the fewest yards per reception of his career in 2022. He's no spring chicken by NFL standards and there's a clear trend of statistical regression.
On the other hand, Hopkins was saddled with extremely unreliable quarterback play in Arizona last season. He's not exactly upgrading to the best arm in football, but Ryan Tannehill is a reliable game manager who captained Tennessee to the No. 1 seed a couple of years ago. Plus, with defenses forced to sell out to stop Henry at the line of scrimmage, Hopkins should find plenty of seams in the defense.
The Titans will give Hopkins all the targets he can handle. Tennessee's receiving corps was in the NFL basement last season after trading A.J. Brown. Now, their best receiver from a year ago, Robert Woods, is out the door. Hopkins' primary competition for targets will be Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, neither of whom broke 500 yards last season.
Hopkins' natural talent is undeniable. At his peak, he was arguably the best receiver in football — a 6-foot-1 acrobat with the soft hands of a Golden Glove outfielder. With five Pro Bowls on his résumé, Hopkins has earned the benefit of the doubt. So long as he's healthy, Tennessee fans should still expect productive football.
That is the big if following Hopkins into the later stages of his career, though. If he's healthy. It is uniquely challenging to age gracefully in football, especially at a skill position that invites contact like wide receiver. Hopkins is a generationally talented athlete, but Father Time comes for us all. The Titans will give him plenty of targets, but it's fair to question if that's the best set-up for him.
