The Pittsburgh Steelers Week 9 matchup against the Tennessee Titans just got a little bit more difficult, as the Titans have inked wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a contract. The news was first reported by Doug Kyed of Atozsports.com.
Hopkins was released by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this offseason and took two visits, the first to Tennessee and the second with the New England Patriots. Coming off a season where he had 64 catches for 717 yards in just nine games, Hopkins adds a dynamic element to the Titans passing attack for quarterback Ryan Tannehill or second-round pick Will Levis.
Per Ian Rapaport, it’s a two-year, $26 million deal that could increase to $32 million with incentives.
He’ll pair up with former first-round pick Treylon Burks for the Titans, who haven’t had a dynamic receiver since trading away A.J. Brown. While the team did trade for Julio Jones before the 2021 season, he was largely ineffective in Tennessee. Hopkins will look to avoid the same fate while trying to lead the Titans to the playoffs in a wide-open AFC South.
The Week 9 matchup against the Titans is on Thursday Night Football, and the addition of Hopkins adds some intrigue. He’s going to be difficult for the Steelers to prepare for on a short week, and Hopkins has had success against the Steelers in the past. While he’s only played against Pittsburgh twice, both times as a member of the Houston Texans, he has 10 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown in his career against the Steelers.
Obviously, he’s now changed teams twice since then and Pittsburgh’s personnel has changed, so you can’t put too much stock into his prior performances against the team. But he’s a dynamic receiver who needs to be accounted for and he’s a big upgrade to Tennessee’s offense, as they now have an elite, All-Pro caliber receiver to pair with one of the best running backs in the NFL in Derrick Henry. Pittsburgh’s defense is going to need to be ready to stop the run and the pass when they square off with the Titans in Week 9.
