Products You May Like
DeAndre Hopkins has been a free agent for two weeks, yet the teams pursuing the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver are limited to this point. We do, however, know of a few interested teams, starting with the Tennessee Titans, who will meet with the star receiver on Sunday (here’s why it would, and wouldn’t, make sense for Tennessee). It’s an interesting turn of events, considering that last week Mike Vrabel all but said the Titans wouldn’t be signing Hopkins.
Next week, Hopkins will take a visit to New England to meet with the Patriots, according to NFL Media. Hopkins, of course, played for multiple seasons under Pats offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien when the pair were with the Texans. That tenure did not end amicably, but perhaps fences can be mended and Hopkins can find himself a new home in the northeast. The Patriots could certainly use the help at receiver — even after adding JuJu Smith-Schuster via free agency this offseason.
Elsewhere, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills were reportedly active in acquiring Hopkins prior to his release and are believed to still have interest in signing him. The Bills confirmed their desire in adding the All-Pro receiver, who is big fan of their quarterback, Josh Allen.
“We are all about people who want to come to Buffalo,” Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said on ‘The Pat McAfee Show‘ on Monday. “We love it, especially if they fit. Obviously DeAndre’s a heck of a talent, he caught a Hail Mary on us in the COVID season [2020] . . . Nothing but respect for him. It would definitely have to fit with how we would structure the salary and all that. Never ruling it out, but we know he’s a good player and he’ll probably command a decent contract.”
The teams that aren’t pursuing Hopkins have also publicized their lack of interest in him. Hours after New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh echoed Vrabel in all but saying his team won’t be signing Hopkins, the three-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver put out this cryptic tweet.
Hopkins also signed with Klutch Sports last week after previously representing himself. Kelton Crenshaw will be Hopkins’ agent going forward as he seeks out a new team. Crenshaw represents DeVonta Smith, Chase Young, and Kayvon Thibodeaux — all of whom are in the NFC East.
As for the first two teams that passed on Hopkins? Saleh said “we love our current group” when referring to the Jets, who revamped their wide receiver room this offseason. The Titans didn’t revamp the position like the Jets did, but Vrabel said the team is “focused on the players they have here.” Apparently they have changed their mind.
One of the NFC East’s top teams, the Dallas Cowboys, kicked off the month by June by discussing their satisfaction with their current wide receiver room.
“I really like the look of our group,” Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said on June 1 per the Dallas Morning News, when asked about the team’s interest in Hopkins. “There’s nothing good that comes out of those answers. Hop is a hell of a talent.”
McCarthy’s boss, Cowboys COO and EVP Stephen Jones, agreed with McCarthy’s vote of confidence in their wide receiver room on Monday.
“He’s [Hopkins] not on this team right now,” Cowboys COO and EVP Stephen Jones said Monday, per The Athletic. “We went down the road with [Brandin] Cooks. We’re very comfortable with Cooks. We’re really pleased with our receiving group.”
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell had a similar reaction to McCarthy’s on June 1.
“Yeah, I’m not gonna comment on that one,” head coach Dan Campbell said when asked about adding Hopkins. “But I like our receivers room. I think we’ve got a good mix of different types of guys. I think it’s important, really, in your skill positions between tight ends, backs, and receivers that you have a mix of different types of skillsets — and I feel like we have that. We’ve got possession, explosive, we’ve got speed. We’ve got consistency, quickness. So, I just think we have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. So, the more versatility you have, that opens up your packages personnel-wise, matchup-wise.”
Another up-and-coming team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, also saw their head coach double-down on his current group of receivers over the prospect of adding Hopkins.
“I mean, it’s hard to speak on guys because we got a really good room right now,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said at the team’s minicamp on Monday. “It’s hard to add someone of his caliber, his talent, to a room that’s already talented. You consider everything, but at this time it’s not a reality for us to bring someone like that in.”
Hopkins has the eighth-most receiving yards through a player’s first 10 seasons in NFL history (11.298) and the fourth-most receptions after a player’s first 10 seasons (853). Hopkins averaged 7.1 catches per game (fourth in NFL) and 79.7 receiving yards per game (10th in NFL) despite only playing nine games last season. He’s been a first team All-Pro three times and selected to the Pro Bowl five times in his 10 NFL seasons.
There’s still excellent value in signing Hopkins, which he’s eager to prove in 2023 for a contending team.