Titans' Kearis Jackson 'Paid in Mentorship' By DeAndre Hopkins for No. 10 Jersey

Rookie wide receiver Kearis Jackson wore No. 10 after he signed with the Tennessee Titans in May, but he's wearing No. 5 now after free agent DeAndre Hopkins joined the team. There was no deal for the number and Jackson is thrilled that the All-Pro receiver is ''paying me in mentorship.''

EAGAN, Minn. — There was no bag of money, no nice new car, not even a table full of steak and lobsters for dinner.

But for Tennessee Titans rookie Kearis Jackson, the wide receiver and special teams guy out Georgia, none of that mattered when All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins arrived in Nashville as a prized free-agent signee.

Jackson, who had been wearing No. 10 after signing with the Titans as an undrafted free agent back in mid-May, switched over to No. 5 after Hopkins was signed. Hopkins, who's worn No. 10 his entire career, now wears No. 10 for Tennessee.

"Nope, nothing for switching numbers,'' Jackson said with a smile this week during joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings. "I'm just a rookie, man, and I didn't want anything. He's paying me in mentorship, and that's totally fine with me.''

Jackson played five years at Georgia as a wide receiver and special teams standout, with 78 receptions for 1,107 yards and four touchdowns. His best season was in 2020, when he caught 36 passes for 514 yards. His best game came that year against Auburn, where he had nine receptions for  149 yards.

He also wore No. 10 at Georgia.

Jackson joins Hopkins in a crowded wide receivers room, but Jackson is hoping to stick with the team as a receiver and return man. He had two catches for 34 yards in the Titans' preseason opener at Chicago. He also returned one kick for 29 yards. 

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kearis Jackson (10) catches a ball during an OTA practice  in Nashville in June. He was wearing No. 10. then, but switched to No. 5 when DeAndre Hopkins arrived. (USA TODAY Sports) 

Everyone has been raving about Hopkins' presence in the facility. He certainly makes the Titans dramatically better — especially in an area of need — and he'll certainly be Ryan Tannehill's favorite target when the regular season starts Sept. 10 at New Orleans.

But he's also been a great team leader, talking often with the receivers about how to get better. He speaks up often in meeting rooms, and on the field.

"He's been great to be around, and I think we're all learning a lot from him,'' Jackson said. "He's been a great receiver in this league for a long time. I'm loving being around him.''

Hopkins, an All-American at Clemson, was a first-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2013. He spent seven years with the Texans, and has been in Arizona with the Cardinals the past three seasons. He's had six 1,000-yard seasons, and for his career he has 853 catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns.

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