Is DeAndre Hopkins to the Titans gaining momentum?
The Tennessee Titans appeared to roll out the red carpet for free-agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ visit on Sunday.
And while the 31-year-old wideout is supposed to visit New England later this week, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick cast some doubt on whether Hopkins actually makes it to town for his visit.
“I don’t know about that,” Belichick told reporters in response to a question asking if Hopkins was going to show up for his scheduled Tuesday visit in Foxboro. “We talked to him, we’re working through it. I’m not sure.”
Although Belichick later stated his uncertainty was more about the logistics of travel and less about whether Hopkins would still be a free agent, the 71-year-old coach could simply be hedging in case the Titans don’t, in fact, get a deal done on Monday.
Hopkins is reportedly seeking close to the $15 million the Baltimore Ravens gave Odell Beckham Jr. While New England has close to that in available cap space ($14.2 million), it’s hard to see Belichick getting into a bidding war with another team, let alone one coached by his former pupil, Mike Vrabel.
Tennessee will need to either restructure or extend a current player’s contract to free up the funds to sign Hopkins, but the team was in a similar situation after trading for Julio Jones in 2021 and they made it work.
Spotrac co-founder and editor Michael Ginnitti pointed out that teams typically don’t shell out big-money deals to free agents in June, and he stated a more realistic contract for Hopkins could be in the neighborhood of two years and $20 million.
“I don’t think anybody is saying four (years) for $80 (million) with half of that guaranteed is logically speaking right now,” Ginnitti told 104.5 The Zone. “From a logical standpoint, I think (the Titans are) one of the top three contenders in terms of best fit. …Because they’re (a) fringe (playoff team), they’re probably going to have to spend a little bit more money...but that’s a piece that can maybe put them over the edge from a divisional standpoint. …Tennessee is going all-in on DeAndre Hopkins.”
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