While the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes apparently remains a two-team race, the Tennessee Titans have reportedly been “more aggressive” than the New England Patriots in their pursuit of the veteran wideout.
Here’s the latest on the Titans’ and Patriots’ pursuit of Hopkins from ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who reports both teams have made an offer but Tennessee’s appears to be superior.
3. D-Hop update: Key points on where things stand with free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins, according to sources close to the situation, are as follows: The Tennessee Titans and Patriots have made offers, the Titans have been more aggressive to this point and Hopkins hasn’t been in a rush to sign. One reason for Hopkins to wait a bit longer is to leave open the possibility of another team entering the mix, potentially increasing his market.
Reiss goes on to speculate that the Pats may have the edge if Hopkins feels he has a better chance to hit incentives to maximize his deal with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who he had success with during their days in Houston.
4. D-Hop’s incentive: If it remains between the Titans and Patriots, one question Hopkins might have to ask himself is which team gives him a better chance to cash in on incentives and maximize his earnings. Given his proven production in Bill O’Brien’s offense from their time together with the Houston Texans, perhaps that would give New England an edge.
It’s true Hopkins has a proven history of production under O’Brien, and even with some bad quarterbacks under center, so the Titans’ advantage in that area might not be as big as I think.
However, if it’s the better situation as a whole that Hopkins is looking for, the Titans have it with a better quarterback and team overall, and a weaker division that gives them a better chance at the playoffs.
Maybe the Titans’ run-heavy approach would scare Hopkins off a bit if he’s truly worried more about incentives, but it’s not like O’Brien has a history of being a pass-happy play-caller after running an offense that was run-heavy more often than not during his six-plus years at the helm in Houston.
Whatever the case may be, it looks like the Titans are showing some urgency in their pursuit of Hopkins, as they should be.
