Despite the best efforts of Flock Nation – and maybe Lamar Jackson – DeAndre Hopkins will not be dressing in purple and black this season, choosing instead to sign with the Tennessee Titans on a 2-year deal.
BREAKING: Titans signing WR DeAndre Hopkins to a 2-year, $26M deal worth up to $32M with incentives. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/0k1KLaYQHU
— NFL (@NFL) July 16, 2023
The Ravens were thought to be interested in Hopkins when he first requested a trade from the Arizona Cardinals, with some reporting indicating that Jackson himself had asked the team to pursue Hopkins in addition to Odell Beckham Jr.
But after ponying up a hefty $15 million for OBJ, there was less cap space and incentive to sign Hopkins even after the Cardinals cut him, especially with first-round pick Zay Flowers arriving in Baltimore.
Updated Titans Super Bowl odds after signing DHop 👀
(@DKSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/SU8HwM7aBD
— br_betting (@br_betting) July 16, 2023
Instead, Hopkins ends up in Tennessee, joining Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry to form one of the league’s oldest offensive cores. They’ll play the Ravens this year in London – and even though player evaluation doesn’t work this way – fans will certainly compare the performance of Hopkins and Beckham to see which veteran WR was really worth it.
It is interesting, though, to see how the Ravens’ pursuit of Beckham blew up Hopkins’ market.
Also, as we've mentioned a few times, the Chiefs essentially gave Donovan Smith the money they had earmarked for DeAndre Hopkins, after Odell Beckham's 💰 changed the dynamic in negotiations.
The Titans got way closer to what the Ravens gave OBJ than the Chiefs were going to. https://t.co/4jiNNt7xNN
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 16, 2023
Was this intentional? I wouldn’t go that far – Eric DeCosta just did what had to be done to acquire Beckham’s services. But he did so knowing that even a slight overpay for OBJ would turn heads around the league and make it harder for the Ravens’ cap-strapped competitors to add Nuk.
Don’t forget Chiefs were reportedly close to making a trade for DeAndre Hopkins until the Ravens-Odell Beckham Jr. signing blew it up.
So, OBJ helped get Lamar Jackson’s deal done, added All-Pro play & leadership to the WR room, and prevented Patrick Mahomes from getting D-Hop.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) July 16, 2023
Hopkins on the Titans isn’t ideal – better if he stayed in the NFC – but it’s certainly better than adding him to the Chiefs.
Hopkins’ deal was certainly the news of the weekend, but attention has now turned back to the RB market where Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley and Tony Pollard remain on the franchise tag with the deadline to get a long-term deal done expiring this afternoon.
Tense hours ahead with the deadline for franchise-tagged players to get a long term deal done today.
Both players & teams have respective futures to protect.
All parties must play it smart.
Can't ever let emotion rule business.
PS: The deadline for long-term deals is silly.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) July 17, 2023
This is an inflection point for NFL running backs. They want financial security in the form of lucrative, multi-year deals, but NFL teams no longer value the position at that level. Jacobs, Barkley and Pollard can threaten to hold out, but their tags are still career-high salaries. That’s a lot of money to give up at a position that is among the most replaceable in the league. We haven’t seen a legitimate hold-out since Le’Veon Bell, and that went disastrously for the Steelers RB.
Ultimately, I think all three running backs going to have to play on the franchise tag and hope they can repeat their excellent 2022 seasons so they can finally cash in come next offseason.
Meanwhile, back in Baltimore, the Ravens are still trying to put the finishing touches on their roster.
Ravens writer @CliftonGBrown says that he believes OLB Justin Houston will “be back in Baltimore.” pic.twitter.com/YZBs2QjGNJ
— Ravens Nation LIVE (@LIVERavenNation) July 17, 2023
Justin Houston tops the wish list for the Baltimore defense, as his veteran pass-rushing skills and mentorship have been fantastic for the Ravens over the last two years.
With Jackson’s extension on the books, the Ravens certainly have the money to retain Houston, and he seemed to enjoy his time in Baltimore. With a healthy stable of young pass rushers around him, he’d be able to streamline his responsibilities and save his best for the postseason so he can finally chase down that elusive Super Bowl ring.
And finally, I couldn’t help but share this:
“Beyoncé can we please get free tickets”🤣🤣 https://t.co/HbJcgGYC09
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) July 17, 2023
Between Lamar’s Twitter and his Instagram, it’s good to know the money hasn’t changed our QB1. He’s still the goofy, enigmatic, fun-loving guy he’s always been.
