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With the Tennessee Titans’ need at wide receiver, the team is reportedly bringing in veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a free-agent visit.
The news comes from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who notes that Hopkins will arrive in Nashville for a Sunday meeting with the receiver-needy Titans.
While the Titans are the first team Hopkins will meet, they will not be the only ones, as the 31-year-old is expected to make visits with multiple teams.
Hopkins, who was released by the Cardinals late last month, is quite familiar with the Titans after spending the first seven years of his career with Tennessee’s division rival, the Houston Texans.
In addition to that, Hopkins’ stint with Houston overlapped with those of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.
Free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins is slated to fly to Nashville on Sunday for a visit with the #Titans, per sources.
D-Hop and Mike Vrabel were together in Houston. Now Vrabel’s team gets the first visit with Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowl pick released by Arizona last month. pic.twitter.com/UUyUjLqa7Z
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 7, 2023
Back in 2018, Hopkins praised Vrabel for his personable approach with players, which could help Tennessee land the veteran wideout.
“I had a lot of interaction with him,” Hopkins said. “He’s one of those guys you could talk to off the field, not just about football, but personal stuff. Vrabel was good to me. It wasn’t just a football relationship with him, it was a personal relationship. Guys could relate to him.”
“He’s a great guy. He’s not just a good coach, but he’s a good guy. He can relate to his players. The Titans are lucky to have him,” he added.
While the history of aging star receivers coming to the Titans isn’t great, this team is in desperate need of help and Hopkins presents the best option available on the open market.
It remains to be seen what it’ll take to sign him in terms of money and deal length, but the Titans do have nearly $8 million to work, per Over the Cap.
We also know there are other avenues to create more room if needed, and the Titans are set to be flush with cap space in 2024, so pushing money to next year is an option as well.
Whatever the case may be, the Titans’ interest in Hopkins has just made this offseason much more interesting. Now all they need to do is land him.