The 2024 regular season is rapidly approaching and the Tennessee Titans have most personnel issues in order. However, there is the lingering reality that superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is in a contract year.
Is that something Titans general manager Ran Carthon should address?
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder certainly believes so, naming Hopkins the “most important contract decision” facing the team ahead of Week 1.
Hopkins had a solid first season in Tennessee, making 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. But his contract is about to expire and he’ll be 33 years old in 2025, forcing the Titans to make a tough decision in the offseason, especially since the front office will have to consider how much the wideout’s absence could hinder Will Levis’ development.
Hopkins may be on the older side for a receiver, but his production is still more than viable. After two down years in Arizona, Hopkins returned to his 1,000-yard ways in 2023. Plus, he’s happier than he’s ever been in Tennessee.
“I love Tennessee. I love what Miss Amy (Adams Strunk, the Titans owner) is doing,” Hopkins said in July. “I think this is the happiest I’ve been in any organization, so I’ll just let that speak for itself.”
Although Carthon wouldn’t admit it outright, he seemed to imply Hopkins was also part of the team’s long-term plans.
“We’ve identified a number of guys that we’d like to continue to move forward with and eventually take care (of),” Carthon said, via Paul Kuharsky. “But you guys have heard me; we’re going to keep family business in terms of talking about their contracts and what’s next for them. But we, as a staff, have identified some guys that we’d like to have here long-term.”
A happy receiver is a productive receiver. Hopkins wants to stay and the Titans want to keep him, so maybe they should get a deal done ahead of Week 1.
