The Tennessee Titans lit the NFL world on fire when the news broke that superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was taking his Hall of Fame talents to Nashville, Tenn.
While the move isn’t official until he signs on the dotted line, he himself has already made it clear where he intends to play for the next couple of seasons if everything goes according to plan.
I always loved having haters and doubters but I appreciate it even more now. Titan up!!
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) July 17, 2023
Longtime Titans insider and beat writer, Paul Kuharsky, recently had the opportunity to text with the All-Pro wideout, and he provided some brief insight into what attracted him to the Titans (other than money).
“The team is just amazing all around. Great guys, great coach, great staff,” Hopkins told Kuharsky via text message.
Hopkins also confirmed that reuniting with offensive coordinator Tim Kelly played a role in landing the Clemson product. He also joked that his new nickname going forward is “pretty boy Kelly.”
Texted briefly w #Titans' @DeAndreHopkins.
"The team is just amazing all around. Great guys, great coach, great staff."
Asked about the influence of Tim Kelly, his OC in HOU in 2019 who's with TEN now.
"A lot. Great guy. Write that. Pretty boy Kelly. That’s his new name"
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) July 20, 2023
It’s easy to see where the infatuation comes from. D-Hop was an All-Pro back in 2019 when Kelly took over as offensive coordinator for the Texans.
Although he may not have called plays at that time, there’s no denying that Kelly still had a ton of influence in what they did as an offense, which subsequently helped Hopkins have one of the best seasons of his career.
DeAndre Hopkins’ numbers the last time he was in Tim Kelly’s offense (2019) vs. his most recent numbers (2022) when he missed half the season with a suspension.
As long as DHop is out there, he’s still dominating.#Titans pic.twitter.com/LFRcu3l82U
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) June 9, 2023
Nuk finished the 2019 season with 119 catches, 1,373 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns in 17 games (playoffs included).
Let’s hope the two of them can make similar magic now that they’re reunited in Tennessee.
