NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans will be the first NFL team to bring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in for a free agent visit.
They certainly could use his experience in a very young wide receiving group. Hopkins, who turned 31 Tuesday, would have led Tennessee last season with his 64 catches for 717 yards last season despite being limited to only nine games.
Both coach Mike Vrabel and his new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly worked in Houston during Hopkins' tenure with the Texans. Vrabel made clear Wednesday he won't be trying to recruit Hopkins, something he's left behind when he moved from Ohio State to the NFL.
“I would really just want people that want to be here,” Vrabel said. "And then if that works out, then you go on to the next step. So that will be pretty much it until we either sign or don’t sign the next player.”
Arizona released the five-time Pro Bowl receiver in a salary cap move May 26 after failing to find a trading partner in the offseason.
The Cardinals cut Hopkins three seasons after acquiring him in a blockbuster trade in 2020 with Houston and had signed him to a $54.5 million contract extension through 2024. Hopkins would have counted close to $31 million against the cap this season for Arizona, which still took on a dead cap hit of $22.6 million.
Hopkins ranks 36th in NFL history with 11,298 yards receiving in his 10 seasons over 145 games.
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