NFL receiver DeAndre Hopkins appeared on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, saying he would like to run it back with the Ravens as free agency approaches. The veteran is set to hit the open market, and with an entirely new coaching staff in place, change is clearly in the air. There is no guarantee he will return to Baltimore.
Hopkins’ career is undeniably winding down, coming off his worst statistical season in which he totaled just 22 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns. However, even with limited targets, he still averaged 15 yards per catch, which ranks as the third-highest mark across his 13-year career.
With the hiring of head coach Jesse Minter and a new offensive coordinator yet to be named, Hopkins addressed the situation directly. “The reality of it, having a new offensive coordinator, being an older guy, I know football, and I know how the business side works,” Hopkins told Adams. “I would love to come back, but not every offensive coordinator wants a veteran receiver on their team. Some guys have different dynamics of how they go about coaching. It’s nothing personal.”
At 33 years old, Hopkins has been around the league long enough to understand how these situations play out. As he said, it is not personal; it is simply how the business works sometimes. Hopkins has been searching for stability since being traded from the Texans to the Cardinals, later landing in Tennessee, before a midseason trade sent him to the Chiefs, and ultimately signing a one-year deal with Baltimore this past season. Now, he could be headed to his sixth team since the 2019 season.
If things do not work out in Baltimore, Buffalo could emerge as a potential landing spot. When asked about teaming up with Josh Allen and the Bills, Hopkins did not hesitate. “Me and Josh Allen could do some damage, for sure,” Hopkins said. “I’m a football guy now, and Buffalo is a football team, and Josh Allen is a football player. He’s a player’s player, as we say.”
Hopkins went on to say he is essentially “quarterback proof,” noting that he posted nearly 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns with Will Levis. Given the possibility of this becoming his sixth team in recent years, his ability to seamlessly adapt to different systems remains a major asset. Even with his best days behind him, Hopkins is focused on bringing veteran leadership and impact to whichever locker room he joins, whether that means a return to Baltimore or a new chapter elsewhere. At the end of the day, his story is not finished, and he wants to run it back.