Titans DeAndre Hopkins update: Two horse race & other NFL teams flirting

ESPN's Dianna Russini is one of the most plugged in NFL insiders in the industry this time of year, and after a round of conversations with various league sources, Russini has the latest on the Tennessee Titans' pursuit of free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Russini joined "The Buck Reising Show" on 104.5 The Zone […]

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DeAndre Hopkins Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN's Dianna Russini is one of the most plugged in NFL insiders in the industry this time of year, and after a round of conversations with various league sources, Russini has the latest on the Tennessee Titans' pursuit of free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Russini joined "The Buck Reising Show" on 104.5 The Zone on Thursday to share what she has been hearing regarding the Titans' efforts to land Hopkins and the status of the sweepstakes as a whole.

According to Russini, the Titans and Patriots are still the only two teams with offers submitted to Hopkins, who is taking some time to mull over his options. Make no mistake about it, Tennessee's interest in Hopkins is not a smokescreen. The Titans have a legitimate chance of signing him and the organization has left no stone unturned in their attempt to acquire him.

"I think it's really fair to believe that the Tennessee Titans are in this," Russini told Reising on Thursday. "This isn't going to be a situation where they 'tried' and they did very minimal. I think the Titans have tried their best to lure DeAndre Hopkins here."

"From what I was told from people close to the situation, DeAndre is going to take some time here to go over the offers he has been made and how he wants to go about it and where he wants to play," Russini continued. "This doesn't mean that the Titans and Patriots are the only two teams that are in this, other teams could possibly emerge. At this point though, these are the two teams that are in this game. It's a two horse race for DeAndre at this point."

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As far as the rumored mystery teams for Hopkins are concerned, Russini told Reising that she did not get the sense that the Kansas City Chiefs were interested in making a major investment in Hopkins. 

If the market were to change, Kansas City's interest would likely change, but with Hopkins asking for a contract similar to that of Odell Beckham Jr., the Chiefs are content with keeping their current wide receivers.

Even if nobody else were to get involved, it's still a waiting game for Tennessee and New England. The longer Hopkins waits to sign, the better the chance of additional teams entering the sweepstakes. If Hopkins were to wait until training camp, injuries could force other teams to begin bidding, but Russini questions whether the Titans and Patriots are willing to wait that long.

"I'm not sure how willing each team is going to be to wait around until training camp," Russini said on the radio show. Fans can take comfort in knowing that the Titans are giving this their best effort. Now all there's left to do is wait and see who blinks first.