By the end of May 2023, the Arizona Cardinals officially released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. There were numerous teams interested in signing the receiver, but Hopkins wanted to take time before making his decision. After over a month of waiting for the news, Dianna Russini of ESPN announced on Twitter that Hopkins plans to sign with the Tennessee Titans. Here is a look at the pending Hopkins contract, and what it means not only for the wide receiver but the Tennessee Titans as well.

DeAndre Hopkins Contract

While the deal will be made official in the next couple of days, Russini stated that the Titans are giving Hopkins a two-year deal. The first year will have a base salary of $12 million, with incentives up to $15 million. Ian Rapoport broke down the contract and incentives on Twitter as well. Rapoport states the two-year deal is worth $29 million. The incentives are up to $3 million and broken down by if he reaches 95 catches, 1,050 yards, and ten touchdowns. If he achieves all that, he will get the full incentives.

DeAndre Hopkins during a game with the Arizona Cardinals

Former Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins (10) – Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Reaching that should not be an issue, but it does make sense. Hopkins will be entering his 11th year in the NFL, currently at the age of 31. If he remains on the field throughout the season, he should have no issue reaching those goals. While Hopkins has not officially made a statement on the signing, he did go to Twitter to address some of the statements being made about him.

Given Hopkins’ age and the team he signed with, many people went online to voice their opinions on why the receiver chose to play for the Tennessee Titans. Another team that was definitely known to try to sign him was the New England Patriots. This is definitely the biggest signing so far by the Titans’ new GM, Ran Carthon, who was previously with the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons.

DeAndre Hopkins During a game

Former Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins (10) – Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

In 2022, Hopkins played in just nine games for the Cardinals after facing a suspension before the start of the season. In the nine games, he had 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. Clearly, his age has not stopped him, and it is safe to say if he played the entire season, he would have surpassed 1,000 receiving yards easily.

Why DeAndre Hopkins to the Tennessee Titans

Many people across social media have voiced their opinions on Hopkins signing with the Titans over a better team. Numerous people called him out for chasing the money. It is safe to say it will be an uphill battle for Tennessee this season. The AFC is stacked, and in the AFC South specifically, there will be a big competition with the Jacksonville Jaguars and a lot of unknowns with the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.

There were reports that the Kansas City Chiefs were interested in the wide receiver, but there are speculations that Hopkins wanted more money than they would have offered. Sure, if Hopkins signed with the Chiefs, he would have been very likely that he would have his chance at a Super Bowl, but there is a lot about the Titans for NFL fans to consider.

Former Cardinals WR Deandre Hopkins (10) – Harry How/Getty Images

The Titans ended their 2022 season 7-10. They started competitively but lost their final seven games. The year before that, they ended the season 15-5, first in the AFC South. What was the difference between the 2021 season and the 2022? In 2022 they did not have a top receiver, in 2021, they had A.J. Brown. Hopkins, if he remains healthy, can keep the Tennessee Titans in the race for playoffs. Now the team has the receiver they need to compete in the division.

Tennessee also still has Derrick Henry at running back and a talented defense. The Titans will have the entire training camp and preseason for Hopkins to adjust, which was a reason he took his time with this decision. There are questions at the quarterback position, but Hopkins will be the player to make their job ten times easier. It is not a full rebuild; the team has some aspects of offense they will need to clean up, but will still be competitive. The DeAndre Hopkins deal with the Tennessee Titans is expected to be finalized within the next couple of days, just in time for training camp.