Former Clemson star DeAndre Hopkins has made it clear he’s not quite ready to retire.

Hopkins spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens after signing a one-year deal with the team in March 2025. In 17 games with Baltimore, he hauled in 22 receptions for 330 yards and two touchdowns, averaging exactly 15.0 yards per reception – just shy of his career high of 15.9 yards per catch back in 2014, his second NFL season.

“I still got a lot of ball left, but it’s not a situation that I’m sitting here trying to force, or go out and be the regular season superstar,” Hopkins said recently. “Because that’s for the young guys, that’s for the people that they want to develop, and get those contracts to look at the future.”

The 13-year NFL veteran is currently a free agent and has recently said he is looking to sign with a team capable of winning a Super Bowl. CBS Sports predicts Hopkins will ultimately sign with the Buffalo Bills, a team that would certainly fit the bill. The Bills made it to the Divisional Round last season, where they fell to Denver 33-30 in overtime.

The 34-year-old Hopkins recently expressed his desire to play for a “contender” this season. Of the teams that fit that category, Buffalo is the one that needs the most help at receiver. But like the Ravens, the Bills may also be done signing aging wideouts after swinging and missing with Amari Cooper two years ago. 

Hopkins, who racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards as recently as 2023, could also potentially be a good fit with the Bengals, where he could complement Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, or in Denver, where he could play alongside Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton. If none of those teams come calling, Hopkins may have to consider signing with a team that isn’t considered a contender (i.e., the Dolphins or Raiders) if he wants to play in 2026. – CBS Sports

Hopkins has amassed 1,006 receptions for 13,295 yards and 85 touchdowns over 195 games during his career with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Ravens since being selected by Houston in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft (No. 27 overall pick).

Hopkins has appeared in one Super Bowl, when he played for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX (February 2025) and caught two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Gavin Oliver contributed to this story