Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins signed with the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason and will now play for his fifth NFL franchise in 2025. The five-time All-Pro started last season with the Tennessee Titans before he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs midway through the season. After coming up agonizingly short in the Super Bowl, Hopkins will continue his pursuit of a ring this year in Baltimore.
Hopkins’ Incredibly Successful Career Is Missing One Crowning Achievement: A Super Bowl Ring
Hopkins was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. He posted six straight 1,000-yard seasons for the franchise beginning with his second year in the league, while earning first-team All-Pro honors three years in a row between 2017 and 2019.
In 2017, he led the NFL in touchdowns with 13. At the peak of his prime, he was unguardable, with elite hands, savvy route running, and the ability to create separation on every play.
Hopkins is now the Houston Texans’ second all-time receiving yards and touchdowns leader, behind only Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Johnson.
While the veteran receiver made it to the Super Bowl this past season with the Chiefs, he doesn’t yet have a ring to cap off an outstanding career. At 33 years old, he knew the decision he made this offseason was a crucial one, and after landing with the Ravens, he’s determined to make it count.
DeAndre Hopkins has a touchdown in the Super Bowl
📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/sb1luajmIu— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
The media asked Hopkins what he’d learned about Jackson since he arrived. Hopkins responded:
“He’s a competitor at everything. I saw him in [the locker room] shooting hoops on the basketball goal, and he didn’t want to lose. That says a lot about him and who he is, just little things like that. Obviously, on the football field, if he makes a mistake or doesn’t complete a ball that he wants to, he’s hard on himself, and no one has to say anything to him, but that’s why he is who he is.”
When asked about building chemistry with the two-time MVP quarterback, Hopkins said, “I don’t think it’s like a timeframe. I think it differs. A guy like Lamar, who’s a veteran quarterback, he’s played a lot of football – myself, I play a lot of football. We see things differently, but I’ve had rookie quarterbacks who have taken longer. So, it differs.”
Hopkins has played with Patrick Mahomes and seen that side of the game, while also playing alongside a rookie Will Levis in Tennessee. There should be less pressure in Baltimore, with an incredible run game led by the two-pronged duo of Jackson and Derrick Henry.
The Ravens are gearing up to challenge for a Super Bowl again in 2025, strengthening their roster this past week with the addition of cornerback Jaire Alexander, a teammate of Jackson’s in college with the Louisville Cardinals.
Hopkins Has Seen It All En Route to Competing for a Title With Jackson and the Ravens
Despite all of his accomplishments, Hopkins has never won a championship. The Texans had a competitive playoff roster for multiple seasons in the early goings of Deshaun Watson’s career, with a defense led by legendary defensive end JJ Watt.
Together, they made the playoffs four years out of five between the 2014 and 2019 seasons, but only managed to get as far as the divisional round in two of those playoff runs, where they were beaten both times.
Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in early 2020 and had a phenomenal first season there with his seventh straight 1,000-yard campaign. He spent three seasons with Kyler Murray, but the franchise never won a playoff game, and in May 2023, the receiver was released.
That led to Hopkins signing a free agency deal with the Tennessee Titans, who went 6-11 in the 2023 season despite yet another 1,000-yard performance from the All-Pro wideout. The franchise wasn’t close to competing in the postseason, so they granted Hopkins a trade to Kansas City, where he linked up with Andy Reid and Mahomes.
It was there that “D Hop” played in his first Super Bowl, catching a touchdown pass from Mahomes late in the game. Sadly, they fell way short, but the Ravens are a contender, and Hopkins knows that a good season with the team could mean another shot at a ring in 2025.