The Tennessee Titans are transferring on from veteran wide-out DeAndre Hopkins after simply 1 1/2 seasons with the group.
Tennessee is reportedly sending the 32-year-old receiver to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs forward of the NFL’s commerce deadline. The Chiefs will ship the Titans a fifth-round decide that may conditionally turn into a fourth-rounder if Hopkins reaches sure benchmarks.
Hopkins initially signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Titans as a free agent in 2023. He racked up 75 catches for 1,057 yards and 7 touchdowns throughout his first yr in Tennessee, however has seen his numbers tail off in 2024 (15 catches, 173 yards, one landing in six video games).
Now, Hopkins will get an opportunity to work with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs whereas the Titans turn into the most recent NFL group to amass draft capital for a big-name receiver. The Las Vegas Raiders despatched Davante Adams to the New York Jets forward of Week 7 simply hours earlier than the Cleveland Browns traded receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Payments.
Here is what to know in regards to the Titans’ choice to commerce Hopkins and what it means for his or her franchise’s future.
NFL TRADE CANDIDATES:16 gamers who may very well be on the block forward of 2024 deadline
Why did the Titans commerce DeAndre Hopkins?
Just a few elements doubtless performed into the Titans’ choice to commerce Hopkins. At first, the Titans are usually not a contender in 2024. They’ve posted a 1-5 file via six video games to open the season, so buying and selling Hopkins – who’s on an expiring contract – for an asset that may speed up the group’s rebuild looks as if a sensible transfer.
Hopkins’ expiring deal additionally performs an enormous function within the commerce. The chances of him re-signing with the Titans do not look significantly nice, as he has seen a downturn in manufacturing in his first season working with head coach Brian Callahan. The 32-year-old is on tempo for simply 42 catches and 490 yards, which might each mark career-lows, and three touchdowns over a 17-game season.
If that output had continued, Hopkins might have regarded for a change of surroundings through the 2025 offseason. Forward of his age-33 season, Hopkins would doubtless need to find yourself with a contender to chase his first Tremendous Bowl ring.
NFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 8:Bucs, Vikings slip in reshuffled NFC image
The Titans may also save a bit of cash by offloading Hopkins. They’d have owed him roughly $8 million for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season, per Spotrac.com. They might nonetheless eat a few of that wage to facilitate a cope with the Chiefs, however both means, Tennessee will not be paying Hopkins the total allotment of what he is owed. And the dead-cap hits related to him ($10.25 million in 2024 and $5.89 million in 2025) actually aren’t back-breaking.
The Titans additionally had a really perfect commerce associate within the Chiefs. Kansas Metropolis badly wanted some vast receiver assist after dropping No. 1 goal Rashee Rice for the season in Week 4 to a torn ACL and No. 2 receiver Hollywood Brown to a sternoclavicular damage within the preseason.
Nevertheless, the Chiefs additionally had a aim to not give up a top-100 draft decide as they tried to amass receiver assist, per The MMQB’s Albert Breer. That made Hopkins one of many Chiefs’ most closely fits and allowed the Titans to get a good value whereas turning an expiring contract right into a future asset.
CHIEFS:With out Patrick Mahomes’ typical fireworks, Kansas Metropolis is serving up discover to remainder of NFL
Tennessee will not be hurting an excessive amount of at receiver with out Hopkins, both. The Titans signed Calvin Ridley to a big-money contract through the 2024 offseason and has veteran Tyler Boyd on the roster as effectively. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who has confirmed to be an efficient NFL function participant, will doubtless draw into the lineup to exchange Hopkins in three-receiver units.
That provides the group loads of weapons to assist them consider whether or not Will Levis may be their long-term beginning quarterback, which was certainly one of Tennessee’s fundamental targets getting into the 2024 season.