Cardinals release WR DeAndre Hopkins

The Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Friday. Hopkins was always expected to depart the Cardinals this offseason, but all parties assumed it would occur via trade. The Tennessee Titans have been a rumored landing spot throughout the process.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spent four seasons (2014-17) coaching Hopkins with the Houston Texans. New Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also coached Hopkins in Houston. Kelly oversaw an exciting offense that helped Hopkins produce some of his most dominant outputs.

The Titans obviously need help at receiver. General manager Ran Carthon didn’t necessarily address the position via free agency or the 2023 NFL Draft. Carthon has discussed possibly adding another receiver that would be released prior to the season. Hopkins is now officially available.

The Titans need an appropriate running mate for Treylon Burks. Kyle Philips, Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine help round out the depth chart. Hopkins would immediately become Ryan Tannehill’s go-to target.

The Titans may be understandably be hesitant to add Hopkins after they got burned by Julio Jones and Robert Woods. The aging Hopkins is a declining talent with injury-prone issues. You could even go back to Randy Moss and Andre Johnson when naming receivers the Titans added past their prime.