Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is no stranger to the record books. A two-time All-Pro with only one missed game in his seven-year career, the wide-out, otherwise known as “Nuk,” continues to climb receiving statistics leaderboards.
Hopkins can put his name back in the record books on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. With four more receptions, he would be the second-youngest player (27 years, 164 days) in NFL history to reach 600 receptions (behind Larry Fitzgerald).
Unless Houston wins, Hopkins couldn’t care about the record. Sharing a list with Fitzgerald is nice for him, but he doesn’t play for statistics — unless it’s doubling what he currently has; a monumental feat.
“That’s dope. That’s cool. Definitely going to keep that football, only if we win,” Hopkins told reporters Monday. “But no, winning is really the most important thing to me. But to be up there with people like Larry Fitzgerald, that’s not bad. That’s not bad at all. That’s pretty cool. The only thing better than [600] is [600] more, so hopefully I can be the first to do that.”
On the season, Hopkins has 68 receptions for 665 yards and four touchdowns. He is on pace to break his career-high for receptions in a season (115) with 121. Unless the 6-3 Texans win, however, he won’t be one to mention that number.
Hopkins was raised to win, not to look at his numbers. In his eyes, if he is not a champion, those accomplishments don’t mean anything.
Said Hopkins: “I honestly don’t think about the accomplishments. That’s not the way I was raised. I was raised that you’re either a champion or you’re not a champion. So, anything else is really disappointing to me personally because I love winning.”
Until Hopkins gets that coveted Super Bowl ring that he is in pursuit of, don’t expect the quiet 27-year-old to discuss his resumé.