Titans Top 3 Concerns with DeAndre Hopkins Signing
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have a chance to change the narrative regarding their wide receiver room if they can sign DeAndre Hopkins after his release from the Arizona Cardinals. However, the move does not come without some serious risk. Here are three reasons for concern if the Titans bring in Hopkins.
"Past-Their-Prime" Receiver Re-Runs
Titans fans have seen it all before. A once-great receiver joining the Titans when they are past their prime. We saw it with Julio Jones recently, but Andre Johnson and Randy Moss also come to mind. It is a movie the Titans have seen before.
Hopkins is going to be 31 years old, hasn't played in more than ten games in two straight seasons, hasn't gone over 800 yards since 2020 and had a PED suspension during that time along with injury concerns. The risk list is long. While the Titans do need help at receiver, it is hard to ignore the franchise's history in these scenarios.
Future Financial Impact
The Titans currently have about $11 million in salary cap space and while there are avenues to signing Hopkins with that amount, it isn't likely. The Titans can't just use all their cap to bring in Hopkins. They still have to sign rookies Peter Skoronski and Will Levis. Not only that, but the Titans will need to add veterans during training camp and the season that will require cap funds.
That leaves a few avenues to add Hopkins. They could structure a contract like the Baltimore Ravens did with Odell Beckham Jr and have a one-year deal with multiple void years. This would give the Hopkins a low cap hit in 2023 that would allow the Titans to keep all their pieces, but basically makes Hopkins' bonus money a price the Titans have to pay in 2024.
The Titans could also choose to extend or restructure the contract of players like Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry or Kevin Byard. However, doing so would also be pushing money into the future. The Titans have a great opportunity in 2024 and 2025 with a large amount of cap room, a Hopkins signing would jeopardize that.
Titans' Reputation
In my article about the benefits of signing Hopkins, I also talked about reputation. The trade of A.J. Brown along with the failure of the Julio Jones experience has likely left a dark cloud hanging over the Titans when it comes to how players around the league view the team. Why would any receiver want to come to Tennessee if they would trade away Brown?
That's a fair question and while I argued that signing Hopkins and him playing well could fix some of that reputation damage, a Hopkins failure would be equally as impactful the other direction. If the Titans bring in Hopkins and it doesn't go well, that could be a major dent in the armor and the Titans' armor is already beat up.
Check out the top three benefits to signing Hopkins HERE
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