Big news came Sunday when the news broke that former Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to join the Tennessee Titans on a two-year, $26 million contract worth up to $32 million with incentives.
On the Dan Patrick Show, Patrick reacted to the three-time first-team All-Pro signing with the Titans and discussed what Hopkins’ fit with the Titans might be.
“It was between the Patriots and the Titans, and here’s a guy who’s had six 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and that’s an impressive resume,” Patrick said. “The Titans, the eventual winner of the sweepstakes, and the way Tennessee’s roster is constructed here, I guess the Titans make sense because he would be their best receiver. In 2021, Julio Jones was in Tennessee, and Jones, a two-time All-Pro with Atlanta, and didn’t do well there. Posted just under 500 receiving yards in his lone season. The Titans have also experimented with Randy Moss and Andre Johnson, Robert Woods. … They combined for 19 total 1,000-yard seasons, but they didn’t get that in Tennessee. And now you have a 31-year-old DeAndre Hopkins who’s battled injuries, and this is a run-first offense here.”
Patrick also weighed in on why he believes the New England Patriots missed an opportunity to sign Hopkins.
“The thing that I don’t understand is the New England Patriots,” Patrick said. “Because you’ve got a good defense. They were a top-10 defense. You have nothing on offense. You’re not even sure of your quarterback. And is Mac Jones a righthanded Tua Tagovailoa? I don’t know, but Tua certainly has a lot of toys to play with. If I put Tua in New England and Mac Jones in Miami, you would probably see Mac Jones be a very good quarterback, but he doesn’t have anything to work with. …
“I just thought it was a missed opportunity. I don’t know if DeAndre Hopkins can play at an elite level anymore. Certainly banged up. There were whispers that can’t separate from anybody. He’s got great hands, OK, he’s got great hands. But are you going to be open? Now you’ve got Ryan Tannehill. How long is Tannehill going to be in there? Are you going to go to Will Levis at some point? If you go to Will Levis, that means Tannehill probably hasn’t done his job, therefore DeAndre Hopkins is not going to get $3000 in incentives.”
A 10-year NFL vet, Hopkins has amassed 853 catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns over his career with the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans since being selected by the Texans in the first round (27th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.
You can check out Patrick’s full commentary in the following video:
We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class. Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class. Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.
Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
