DeAndre Hopkins finished a rather truncated stay with the Tennessee Titans. Yet, that didn't stop the new Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver from sending out a classy farewell.
The five-time Pro Bowl wideout took to his personal X, formerly known as Twitter account to send one last thank you to the city and its fans.
“Thank you Nashville for bringing joy on and off the field. Nashville will forever be home!” Hopkins posted.
Hopkins is now moving onto the league's only unbeaten left. Kansas City stands at 6-0, but became in need of wide receiver help.
The Chiefs lost Rashee Rice, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster to injuries. Smith-Schuster became the latest to go down with a hamstring ailment on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
Tennessee earned a future fifth round draft selection in the deal involving Hopkins. That pick becomes a fourth rounder if Hopkins plays at least 60% of his snaps with the Chiefs, or if the team wins the Super Bowl, via Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
DeAndre Hopkins speaks on Chiefs trade
Hopkins completed just two seasons with the Titans. He managed to play in 23 total games with 19 starts. His Titan teams went a dismal 7-16 overall, plus endured a coaching change with Mike Vrabel getting fired after 2023.
Despite the disappointing shortened tenure, Hopkins still thanked his former general manager.
“I've got to thank (Titans general manager) Ran (Carthon) and his staff for trading me to a contender, first of all, because those guys could've traded me anywhere,” Hopkins said Thursday in addressing the media. “It means a lot.”
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He'll bring a decorated career featuring four 100-catch campaigns, seven 1,000-yard seasons and three All-Pro nods. But he still believes Kansas City is the place where his game can elevate.
“It takes your game to a different level,” Hopkins said. “It'll take your focus, your drive knowing that you're playing for something. It takes your game to a different level. I haven't played meaningful football in a couple years since we probably started 8-0 in Arizona. So it takes your game to a different level.”
Hopkins hasn't played for a playoff contender since the 2021 Cardinals, who went 11-6 overall but fell in the first round of the NFC playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams. He hasn't experienced the postseason since. He's now at a place that owns four Vince Lombardi Trophies, including swooping up three since the 2019 season.
