Report: 5-time All-Pro WR Hopkins signing 2-year, $26M deal with Titans
The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, reports Diana Russini of ESPN.
Tennesssee is giving Hopkins a two-year, $26-million contract, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The deal is reportedly worth up to $32 million with incentives and includes a base salary of $12 million in Year 1.
A five-time All-Pro, Hopkins had been linked to several suitors since the Arizona Cardinals released him in May after failing to find a trade partner. He made free-agent visits with the New England Patriots and Titans. Hopkins was also rumored to be involved in trade talks with Tennessee on the first night of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Arizona explored the potential of moving Hopkins in a trade package with multiple teams, but his $19.45-million salary proved to be a challenge. The Cardinals opted to carry a $21-million dead cap hit by releasing the veteran pass-catcher, according to Over the Cap.
I always loved having haters and doubters but I appreciate it even more now. Titan up!!
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) July 17, 2023
Hopkins, 31, spent the past three seasons with the Cardinals, who acquired him in a trade with the Houston Texans in 2020. He put on a show in his first year with Arizona, catching 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. However, the five-time Pro Bowler's production declined in the last two seasons.
Hopkins played in just 10 games in 2021 due to injuries. In 2022, he served a six-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy before recording 64 receptions for 717 yards with three touchdowns in nine games. The Clemson product recorded 221 receptions, 2,696 yards, and 17 touchdowns in 35 appearances during his Arizona tenure.
In Hopkins, quarterback Ryan Tannehill gains a veteran option in a receiving corps that has been looking for more star power since trading A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. Tennessee's wide receiver depth chart also features 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Kyle Philips, among others.
Veteran Robert Woods, who joined the Houston Texans this offseason, topped Tennessee with 53 catches and 527 yards last year.
Hopkins has recorded 11,298 receiving yards and 71 touchdowns since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2013.