Under the heading of awards in the resume of DeAndre Hopkins you will find plenty.
Five-time Pro Bowler. Three-time All-Pro.
But a quick Google search of Hopkins’ name also yields a sobering dose of reality in 2026. First post generated: What happened to DeAndre Hopkins?
Such is the harsh part of the twilight of an NFL career, which often comes without warning and is rarely easy to process. Some ride off into the sunset on their own terms, but the silence tells others that they are no longer wanted.
Hopkins is caught somewhere in between. He spent the 2025 season playing for the Baltimore Ravens, a partnership that promised great results but ended up falling apart in part because of how little the Ravens used him. Hopkins finished last year with just 22 receptions on 39 targets for 330 yards with two touchdowns.
That shouldn’t detract from what he can offer a team in 2026, at least not in Hopkins’ mind.
“I still have a lot of football left,” Hopkins said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “But it’s not a situation where I sit here and try to force myself or go out and be a superstar in the regular season because that’s for the young guys, man. That’s for the people that they want to develop and give them contracts for the future.
“I know in my position, I’m a powerhouse. I’m in a special situation. I can go out there and beat anybody one-on-one at any time, but lately I’ve been a third-down guy. I wasn’t used in the red zone last year. But (on) third down, they’re going to put D-Hop on me, they’re going to change soon.