JULY 9, 11:15am: Our earlier stories suggested that the Chiefs could reenter the mix if they create cap space via a Chris Jones extension. Veteran NFL reporter Mike Jurecki confirms that Hopkins is waiting for a Jones extension to be finalized so that Kansas City can at least become a viable suitor once again (Twitter link). It’s unclear if the Chiefs would be Hopkins’ top choice, but the chance to be a part of the Andy Reid–Patrick Mahomes offense would be difficult to turn down if KC can present a competitive offer.
JULY 9, 09:45am: To date, the Titans have been more aggressive than the Patriots in their pursuit of Hopkins, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. It is unclear what that means in terms of dollars, though the difference between the two clubs’ offers is not stark enough to keep New England out of the mix. Indeed, if more teams do not enter the sweepstakes, Reiss echoes the sentiment that the presence of Bill O’Brien in Foxborough could give the Pats an edge. Hopkins has a track record of production in O’Brien’s offense when both men were in Houston and may therefore see a stint in New England as the best way to cash in on any incentives included in his next contract.
JULY 7: The waiting game continues for veteran free agents around the league, including wideout DeAndre Hopkins. While weighing his options, the All-Pro recently made it clear that he intends to continue his career well into the future. 
“I’ll retire from football when I’m not a 1k-yard receiver,” Hopkins said in a Threads post. “With that said, I was on pace for 1,400 yards last year – one significant injury in 11 years. I might be playing till I’m 37 the way I feel.”
Hopkins, 31, has been limited to 19 games over the past two seasons due to injury and his 2022 PED suspension. In spite of that, he demonstrated a continued ability to produce when on the field last season, averaging just under 80 receiving yards per contest. If healthy, the former Texan and Cardinal could very well turn in another 1,000-yard performance on his new team.
The five-time Pro Bowler last reached that mark in 2020, his first campaign in Arizona. He will be expected to once again serve as an impact-making receiver on his next team, especially if he is able to secure the lucrative pact he is reportedly seeking. Hopkins has only taken visits with two teams so far – the Titans and Patriots – but each have submitted an offer to him. His market outside of Tennessee and New England has remained underwhelming, though, leaving him to wait for further interest to develop.
Hopkins has been in talks with both the Titans and Patriots this week, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (h/t Grant Gordon of NFL.com). Nothing is considered imminent at this point, however, which comes as little surprise with training camp serving as an unofficial soft deadline for a deal to come together. New England’s new contract for DeVante Parker has not taken them out of contention for Hopkins, while the Titans remain confident they can ultimately secure the Clemson alum.
Hopkins’ remarks likely won’t have an effect on the terms he would be given on a short-term deal, one which would allow him to rebuild his value coming off of consecutive seasons with signficant missed time. With an eye on his career lasting deep into his 30s, though, a multi-year agreement could be of interest as well, be it from the Titans, Patriots or another suitor.
Vikings
Bears
Lions
Should be looking into him.
Vikings – Jefferson Hopkins Addison
Bears – Moore Hopkins Claypool
Lions – St Brown Hopkins Williams
Open division.
As a Pats fan, I’d love to see him on the Lions if he doesn’t come to NE. That’s going to be a fun team to watch.
Bears have receivers, no point adding new weapons when they haven’t shown they know how to use the ones they already have.
Vikings will not sign him, they like to draft WR talent. Plus if they have any extra money for WR’s they need to save it for Justin Jefferson. He is going to get the biggest WR contract to date.
The Lions would have been fine with the receiving core they have but Jameson Williams is missing 6 games to start the season. If the Lions sign him more power to them, he would be a really nice depth piece. But even if they don’t the Lions are still going to score a whole lot of TD’s.
Bears have plenty of WRs. They need DL and will overpay for that, not Hopkins.
Bears have the Cap space but don’t really want to spend it on a guy who does steroids and wouldn’t be the greatest fit for a young team. They have 2 1st round picks next year which will be ticketed I would guess for a WR and an Edge Rusher. Mooney and Claypool will be FA’s after this year so they might have to replace them. We don’t need him. Good luck to anybody who does sign him. You’d need a steroid clause and hope he stays focused. Bears have 2 1st rounders and are projected to have 92 million bucks in cap space next year. This a let’s see what we’ve got year, Not an all in year. That will come next year.
That’s cute that you think GMs and owners care if their players do roids. They care about money and/or winning – that’s it.
Bears need a QB who can throw first before splurging on a WR.
I would love the Lions to get in on him. He fits their mentality.
Airo, Yeah-Suspended
I’ve been saying for weeks Lions makes a lot of sense. They have the money and could form a dangerous triple threat role
It does make a lot of sense, especially with Jamo suspended for the first quarter of the season. Hopkins, Sun God, Laporta, Gibbs, Montgomery and a solid OL for Goff to start out with and then add Jamo after the suspension and this Offense will be one of the most fun to watch. Look out for the Lions this season!
But lions don’t seem to be in the sweepstakes. It seems for now it’s a deadlock between New England and tennesssee until a third party emerges. Hop might even hold off until training camp is damn near over
Best thing to do is sit around until the inevitable training camp ACL tear occurs among one of the contenders.
The problem with that is that team may not have the cap room and there’s not much time to rework a contract to add more space. Hopkins is hoping for a real contender to make him an offer, or at least someone with a better quarterback that can get him the ball so he can put up some good numbers
Update??? All you did was regurgitate an old article. Must be a slow day in the “rumor” column
That happened for what felt like two years, with Aaron Rodgers.
Now we get an offseason’s worth of the same with D-Hop.
Wasn’t the whole fuss when Hopkins left Houston about how O’Brien shipped him out because of his personal life or something? That’s why I’m confused that he’s even talking to the Patriots.
Does anyone realize that 1000 yards in a season was great when the schedule was 10 games.
Today, 1000 yards over 17 games is 58.8 yards a game.
Big deal.
One 30 yard catch and a few short passes adds up to that.
The benchmark should be to average 100 yards per game not 1000 yards in a season.
So today a runner or receiver should have gain 1700 yards in a season.
Last season only Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill reached 1700 yards. Not one runner gained 1700 yards last season. (Josh Jacobs was close with 1653 yards.
Jim Brown would average 100 yards a game in a 10 game season.
I realize defenses are different now and change the game but 1000 yards in a season today is nothing, in my opinion.
This is not 1962 and there are more games now so please re-adjust the statistics to reflect that.
I get your point… and you’re not wrong. The benchmarks of a good season should be adjusted because of the length of the season… my only issue would be with a 17 game schedule players are more apt to breakdown … With that many games they’re also more likely to get less touches per game as they’ll be spread out better over a 17 game season…. I would think 1500 yards seems like a more reasonable benchmark to me…
Most people don’t think a thousand yard season is anything special, so I don’t know why you’re bringing it up. It’s usually seen as a disappointment unless something like a season shortened because of injuries or something comes up. It’s exactly why Hopkins has been seen on the decline the last couple of years. Most see 1200 or 1300 as the floor for anything special. Also, the average and number of TDs are a better indicator. A receiver with a thousand yards and 16 yards a catch when they get those catches isn’t seen the same way as a guy who had 100 catches for barely over a thousand. That’s why Jalen Waddle was seen night and day last year and in 2021 because he went from the latter case to the former.
“It’s unclear if the Chiefs would be Hopkins’ top choice”
If the Chiefs can put up a ‘respectable’ offer together I do not see how they are not his top choice. He would have the best chance to win a Super Bowl for the first time in his career. Reid, Mahomes, championships, rings, all good reasons to play for the Chiefs.
They said for months that they were the ones working out a trade for him before Beckham got signed. That apparently blew up the deal because I suppose Hopkins would have wanted as much as he is getting on an re-worked deal had they traded for him.