The Tennessee Titans need veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to stick around in 2024 after he’s proven to be a key target for rookie quarterback Will Levis.
Adding to that reason, the Titans are seriously thin at wide receiver and will need to greatly improve the position this offseason. Having Hopkins in tow gives Tennessee one less thing to worry about on that front.
While Hopkins is under contract in 2024, there’s no guarantee that the 31-year-old wide receiver will want to stick around for another season when chances are the Titans are a year or two away from really competing.
At the end of the day, if Hopkins wants out, the Titans will oblige.
One thing that helps is his relationship with Levis, which appears to be quite strong after DHop has gone out of his way to praise the rookie several times during the 2023 campaign.
On Friday, Hopkins did so once again, saying Levis was one of the three most competitive signal-callers he’s ever played with. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to name the other two.
DeAndre Hopkins called Will Levis one of the three most competitive QBs he has ever played with. Asked if he would name the other two, he replied, “that’s pay per view.”
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) January 5, 2024
Hopkins described his own performance in his first season with the Titans as “decent.”
That’s quite the humble evaluation considering Hopkins was one of the few bright spots for the Titans and managed to break the 1,000-yard mark despite the mess around him. He also broke the trend of notable veteran free-agent wideouts not panning out in Tennessee.
He wasn’t ready to talk about his future, but Hopkins did express love for Nashville, which is also good news for the Titans’ chances of keeping him.
“I feel like it was decent, wasn’t bad, but I knew the kind of offense I was coming into — a run-first offense — and I just wanted to come out and try to help these guys win,” he said, according to Jim Wyatt. “I knew I wouldn’t be targeted like some No. 1 receivers are targeted on certain teams… But for me, to have 1,000 yards, if you play a lot of football, you know that’s hard to do, especially in a run-first offense.”
“I’m from South Carolina, so I would say (Nashville) is similar,” DHop explained. “Just more restaurants, more people, similar vibes. It’s good people, though. I love the city. Nashville has treated me like family, welcomed me with open arms.”
If Hopkins does stick around for another season, he might (and should) see a transition to a more pass-heavy offense in which he’ll once again be the No. 1 target of a quarterback he clearly likes — and that could be yet another thing that makes him want to stay.
