When the Arizona Cardinals surprisingly decided to cut DeAndre Hopkins back in May, the five-time Pro Bowler thought he would probably have a robust market in free agency, but instead, that's not how things turned out.
During his nearly two months as a free agent, the Titans and Patriots were the only two teams that seemed to show genuine interest in his services, which is a big reason why the former All-Pro ended up landing in Tennessee. Before Hopkins signed his deal with the Titans, he actually reached out to at least four other teams in hopes of getting a deal, but they weren't interested.
"There were some teams that I had on my list that I gave them calls and they didn't give a call back," Hopkins said in a recent interview with GQ.
Sometimes, a player will offer a tantalizing piece of information like that, but he'll then leave us hanging by not listing the teams. However, that's not Hopkins. The 31-year-old then went to list the four teams that rejected him.
"Detroit Lions, they didn't want me," Hopkins said. "Dallas Cowboys didn't want me. Giants didn't want me. Shit. Who else ain't want me? San Fran ain't want me."
If the Lions, Cowboys, Giants or 49ers have any receiving problems this year, they're likely going to regret not adding Hopkins.
Of course, it's possible those four teams didn't show any interest because they couldn't afford him or they didn't want to spent the money it would have taken to land him. In Tennessee, Hopkins ended up getting a two-year, $26 million contract that could be worth up to $32 million if he hits every incentive.
"I'm very grateful for where I am, I think I made the best decision," Hopkins said of landing with the Titans. "But when you're a player and some people feel like they're great without you, and then you see what they have on paper, or you see what they do, you mark those games down, as a competitor. I can't wait to play' em and, honestly, try my best to crush they ass."
Based on that comment, it sounds like Hopkins is going to go into the 2023 season with a major chip on his shoulder. Unfortunately for Hopkins, he won't get a chance at revenge against any of the four teams that turned him down and that's because the Titans won't be playing the Cowboys, Lions, 49ers or Giants this year unless they end up meeting in the Super Bowl.
