This lazy narrative about the Titans, DeAndre Hopkins needs to die
The Tennessee Titans have been criticized all offseason for failing to make major additions to arguably the worst wide receiver room in the NFL. With that in mind, I never would have thought we would be sitting here in mid-July with NFL analysts now finding a way to bash the Titans for signing five-time Pro […]
The Tennessee Titans have been criticized all offseason for failing to make major additions to arguably the worst wide receiver room in the NFL.
With that in mind, I never would have thought we would be sitting here in mid-July with NFL analysts now finding a way to bash the Titans for signing five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a two-year contract. But somehow, that’s exactly what has been happening.
Instead of taking the Hopkins signing for what it is – a franchise that has made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons filling their biggest need – there is a really lazy narrative about the Titans currently gaining momentum.
There seems to be a portion of the internet confused about why the Titans would sign Hopkins after refusing to pay and trading star wide out A.J. Brown last offseason. That same portion of the internet seems to be ignoring the fact that there is a new GM taking care of business in Nashville that wasn't around for the negotiations with Brown.
Even former NFL executive Michael Lombardi was on his podcast “The GM Shuffle" comparing the Hopkins contract to what Brown got from the Eagles while saying Tennessee was “forced to overpay” for Hopkins because they traded Brown.
"By being so reticent about not bringing A.J. Brown back at 25 years old, now [the Titans] are forced to sign a 31-year-old who is kind of towards the end of his career who doesn’t have the same burst or big play ability that Brown had," said Lombardi on his podcast. "It really looks like it solved the problem, but to me it just amplifies the situation."
"This deal's reported to be $26 million over two [years], so for $6 million more cash you could have add A.J. Brown plus you would’ve had more guarantees," Lombardi added.
Comparing the Hopkins contract to what could have been between the Titans and Brown just does not make much sense to me. Tennessee obviously should have paid Brown and kept him around long-term, but that was the doing of Jon Robinson.
Tennessee has an entirely new general manager in Ran Carthon, and seemingly an entirely new philosophy from what they had at this time last year. Carthon is making the most of the hand that he was dealt, and he cannot be held accountable for Robinson’s mishandling of the A.J. situation.
Sure, it would be great if A.J. Brown was still with the Titans, but that ship sailed long before Carthon joined the organization. $26 million over two years is absolutely not an overpay for a top 10 wide receiver in the game and Hopkins was in the top seven in yards per game, targets per game, and receptions over expected in 2022.
It’s okay to compliment the Titans for filling a major need without constantly comparing their situation to missed opportunities. How about we just let Hopkins be Hopkins and analyze the 2023 Titans for the players actually on the roster? This lazy narrative needs to die.
The best part of the Titans’ deal with DeAndre Hopkins
Makes the contract look even better for Tennessee.
