DeAndre Hopkins may still have football left in him, but a return to Houston doesn’t look like the move that makes the most sense.
Hopkins, who spent 2025 with the Baltimore Ravens, is still unsigned with training camps approaching around the league. The former Texans star said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he wants to keep playing in 2026, and he wants that next stop to be with a contender.
"Of course, I love playing the game. I still love football.
If nothing happens, life is still good, man. But...
I still got a lot ball left," Hopkins said. "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."
He also made clear how he sees himself at this stage of his career.
"I'm a utility guy. I'm a special situation kind of guy," Hopkins said.
"I can go out there and beat anybody one-on-one at any time, but as of lately, I've been a third-down guy. I wasn't used in the red zone last year.
But [on] third down, they're gonna put D-Hop in, they're gonna come to me. I don't think that'll change anytime soon."
And he didn’t hide the kind of team he’d prefer.
"Going into Year 14, I would love to play for a competitor..."@DeAndreHopkins on his mindset and approach to free agency at this stage of his career. 📻 https://t.co/v3G0iz5IH6#NFLFreeAgency | @KirkMorrison pic.twitter.com/gYuXvYVA8k
That’s where the Texans conversation gets tricky. Hopkins is no longer the same All-Pro force he was in Houston, but he could still help the right team as a veteran pass-catcher with real production behind him. The issue is fit.
Houston already has Nico Collins at the top of the receiver room, and there are plenty of bodies behind him. Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and Tank Dell are all names that could already sit ahead of Hopkins on the depth chart, and getting past that group would likely take either a strong camp from the 34-year-old or an injury in front of him.
Even then, the path would be narrow. Higgins, Dell, and Hutchinson all work on the outside, which cuts into the same snaps Hopkins would be chasing. That makes a reunion feel redundant more than necessary.
The Texans could still use another experienced receiver for camp competition, but if they were to add someone this late in the offseason, that player would need to be able to fight for starting reps right away. Hopkins, at this stage, doesn’t quite fit that description.
If he lands somewhere this season, the cleaner fit would be a competitive team that needs depth behind its top two or three receivers. The Buffalo Bills or even the Super Bowl-favorite LA Rams were floated as possible examples of that kind of landing spot.
Houston, though, doesn’t really belong in that category, even if the team is competitive. A reunion would make for a neat story, but it doesn’t look like the right football move.
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