After being released from the Arizona Cardnials, dumb move by them to get nothing for the Pro Bowl caliber receiver, Hopkins has decided to sign with the Titans. According to NFL insider Ian Rappoport. The contract is tabbed at $26 million which can rise to $36 million if incentives are reached with a base salary of $12 million in the first year. What an idiot.
Hopkins made his rounds testing free agency by visiting with the Titans, Buffalo Bills, and the New England Patriots. At age 31, Hopkins will begin his 11th NFL season in Tennessee. This is an all time bad move on his part. Follow along as I break down how stupid DeAndre Hopkins is.
Quarterbacks Hopkins has played with:
- Matt Schaub - Case Keenum - T.J. Yates - Ryan Fitzpatrick - Tom Savage - Brian Hoyer - Brandon Weeden - Brock Osweiler - Colt McCoy - Trace McSorley - David Blough
2 full years with Deshaun Watson
2 full years with Kyler Murray
Will have Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis, or Malik Willis throwing him balls this season...potentially all three will.
Spoiler alert, he has not won a Super Bowl with any of those quarterbacks.
D-Hops Career Earnings:
This is what confuses me about athletes sometimes. Hopkins has generational wealth, already has a potential hall of fame career from his stats, he is in the back half of his career, why not take a lesser deal to win a ring?
The Bills organization had said they would love to have Hopkins but were not willing to pay him what he was looking for, and that he would need to take a lesser deal to ring chase.
I am also sure he could've signed a 1 year "prove it" deal with Buffalo, Philly, or Kansas City for a legitimate shot to win a ring and still have years left to go get another 2-3 year deal and get another check.
Whats Next For Hopkins:
Hopkins missed the first six games of last season after violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. He ended up with 717 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in nine games played, marking the second straight season he did not play more than 10 games. Across his 10-year career, he has 853 receptions for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns, plus five Pro Bowls. All but one of those Pro Bowl campaigns came with the Texans, the team he will now face twice a year as a rival. He remains a difference maker at 31 years of age. In the 19 games he did play over that span, he collected 106 catches for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns, consistently creating separation and making acrobatic contested catches when space didn't exist.
He immediately becomes Tennessee's most dangerous wideout upon signing. His presence should also help expedite the development of Treylon Burks, who the Titans drafted to replace Brown in the first round last year. Ryan Tannehill is the incumbent starter, but he appears to be a lame-duck quarterback heading into his age-35 season with no guaranteed money left on his contract. Last year's third-round pick, Malik Willis, and Will Levis, this year's No. 33 overall selection, will also by vying for the spot.
Hopkins should be the primary target for the Titans, but with the QB carousel they have, and Hopkins ability to stay on the field these past few seasons will be a story line as we are a few months away from the 2023/24 NFL season. Tennessee should be prepared to see a lot of this if DeAndre can stay healthy.
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