The Tennessee Titans look to have come away as the winners of the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes. According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, the two sides have agreed to a two-year deal that could be worth up to $15 million in the first season. The deal is expected to be completed in the coming days with a base salary of $12 million.
The Titans were one of two teams, along with the New England Patriots, who hosted Hopkins for a visit following his release from the Arizona Cardinals. The Kansas City Chiefs lurked as a potential suitor as well, but all signs are pointing toward Hopkins ending up in Nashville.
This is a big signing for the Titans, who were desperate for wide receiver help. They have arguably the worst wide receiver depth chart in the NFL without Hopkins, as 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks was the No. 1 option. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Kyle Philips and Chris Moore rounded out the depth chart behind him.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is certainly happy about Hopkins being added to the team as he now has a legitimate No. 1 receiver. He will replace the void left by A.J. Brown, who was traded last year. The Titans sent the star wide receiver to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft.
This is what makes this ordeal with Hopkins such a head-scratching one. The Titans certainly needed help at the wide receiver position, which leads to the question; why didn’t Tennessee just sign an extension with Brown last season?
Sure, it would have cost the Titans a little more money as Brown is making $25 million annually on his new contract with the Eagles. But, based on how the wide receiver market has boomed in recent years, Brown’s contract could turn out to be a steal sooner than later.
Why Tennessee was willing to pay Hopkins upwards of $15 million annually but not go the extra length to keep Brown is anyone’s guess. Brown was coming up on the last season of his rookie contract and turned only 26 years old at the end of June.
Hopkins turned 31 in June and may not be around for the long haul to help a new young quarterback, whether it is Will Levis or Malik Willis, get acclimated to the NFL. That is something Brown certainly would have been around for as his current contract extension will end before he is the age that Hopkins is now.
This is likely why the Titans’ front office is under new management. Ran Carthon took over as the general manager this offseason from Jon Robinson, who was fired on December 6th, 2022. Looking to make the team as competitive as possible, Hopkins is a good addition to the squad but just goes to show how short-sighted of a decision it was to trade and not extend Brown last year.
