DeAndre Hopkins doesn’t sound like a player chasing one more big individual season. At this point in his career, he’s looking for something different: a contender, a smaller role, and a real shot at a ring.
That matters for the Ravens, because a reunion with Todd Monken - Hopkins’ offensive coordinator in Baltimore, now the head coach in Cleveland - had at least seemed plausible. But Hopkins made it pretty clear that he’s not interested in joining a team that isn’t built to win now.
"I still got a lot ball left," Hopkins said while appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "But it's not a situation I'm sitting here trying to force or go out and be the regular-season superstar because that's for the young guys, man.
That's for the people that they want to develop and give those contracts for the future... Going into Year 14, I would love to play for a competitor if that time came but I'm not in no rush to go out and be a regular-season superstar because for me, I'm not getting a contract extension."
That’s the key line. Hopkins isn’t talking like a player trying to carry an offense anymore. He wants the kind of situation that comes with postseason expectations, not one built around him piling up numbers.
For Baltimore, that’s at least a little encouraging. The Browns don’t fit that description, and Hopkins doesn’t sound eager to go there.
If winning is the priority, the Ravens would seem to offer a better path than most teams, even with a new head coach in place. Lamar Jackson is still under center, and the defense is expected to be better under Jesse Minter.
Hopkins has already had one shot at the biggest stage. Two seasons ago, he was traded to the Chiefs before the deadline, and Kansas City made it all the way to the Super Bowl before getting blown out by the Eagles. That remains his only Super Bowl appearance.
Now 34, Hopkins is clearly in the later stretch of his career, and his comments fit that reality. He’s not looking to be the regular-season centerpiece anymore. He’s looking for the right team, and if he stays in the division, Ravens fans will surely prefer it be with the team he played for last year rather than Cleveland.
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Ravens Receiver Battle Could Upend The Week 1 Depth Chart
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Elijah Sarratt and Devontez Walker have already given the staff reasons to pay attention during offseason work, and Walkers production on limited chances last season only adds to the intrigue. The bigger question now is whether that momentum carries into training camp, because the Ravens receiver competition looks open enough that the pecking order could look different by the time Week 1 arrives. [Read more 🡒]