The Tennessee Titans and 31-year-old wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins are seemingly on competing timelines. Tennessee fired head coach Mike Vrabel after a disastrous 2023 season, replacing him with a young, offensive-minded Brian Callahan.
This seems to suggest that the Titans are looking more to the future than the 2024 season. It has also led to speculation that Hopkins and his team could part ways.
The five-time Pro Bowler pushed back against that with a one-word post on social media, clearly indicating that he doesn’t believe a divorce is in the cards.
Hopkins signed a two-year, $26 million contract with Tennessee last offseason after being released by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite the Titans’ overall struggles, he proceeded to put up a stellar campaign with 75 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. He was one of a few Tennessee bright spots.
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Does a DeAndre Hopkins return to the Tennessee Titans make sense?
Financially, Hopkins is set to count $18.3 million against the cap in 2024. Tennessee can save a whopping $16.35 million by designating him a post-June 1 release, per Over the Cap.
None of that should really matter for a Titans squad that is currently a projected $80.32 million under the 2024 NFL salary cap. Keeping Hopkins at his price tag will not have much of an impact.
The question here is whether Hopkins wants to return to a team that has very little chance of competing over the short-term. He’s hitting the back-end of his prime. Contending teams will certainly have interest in the star receiver on the open market.
For now, Hopkins seems content with the Titans.