After a week-plus of unimaginable excitement, new Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins officially signed on the dotted line after passing his physical on Monday afternoon, the team announced.
It was been quite a week since news first broke last Sunday, and even a Hopkins imposter got his 15 minutes, while also creating a new and legendary nickname for offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.
But finally we got to hear from the real Hopkins, who said the Titans were definitely on his list once he knew his days in Arizona were numbered, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online:
“I am very happy, very glad,” Hopkins said on Monday. “This was a team that as soon as the offseason hit and I knew I was possibly going to be traded, this was a team that was on my list of places that I wanted to play because of the history Mike Vrabel and I have, the history Tim Kelly and I have.
“I wanted to be somewhere where I knew people had my best interests, not just on the field but off the field as well.”
Now, a look at what else Hopkins said after signing his two-year, $26 million deal on Monday afternoon.
On head coach Mike Vrabel
“Vrabel is a straight-shooter, and over my career he has always checked in on me,” he said. “Even when I was in Houston, he was a defensive coach, but he would still check on me just to see how I was doing – that always stuck with me, and I always wanted to be around people like that. I always wanted to be somewhere where I knew I could maximize my potential, not just as a player, but as DeAndre. And I knew Vrabel, being around him, that’s what he brings out of you.”
On GM Ran Carthon
“Great vibes from Ran,” Hopkins said. “Ran is another guy who is a straight-shooter, and he’s not going to b.s. you. From the first conversation I got, that’s the vibe I got from him. He’s not someone who is just going to tell you what you want to hear – he is going to be honest with you, and that’s what I like, and those are the kind of people I want to be around.
“Ran, we kicked it off instantly. And I know what he is trying to do with this organization, and I want to be part of it.”
On what Titans are getting in him
“Besides wins, (the Titans) are getting someone who is going to push people around me, and make everybody else’s job a little easier,” Hopkins said. “The Titans) are getting someone who is a hard worker, someone who is going to practice hard, play hard, and push everybody around me as well to elevate their game.
“They are getting somebody who doesn’t have an ego, someone who is coming in and bonding to the system.”
On playing with Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry
“I am very excited to play with Derrick and Ryan,” Hopkins said. “I have admired those two guys ever since I have been playing against them when I was with Houston. They were hard battles, but one thing I always knew is I wanted to be around people like Derrick and Ryan because they are winners.
“I’ve worked out with Derrick, so Derrick and I actually know each other, not just on the field but off the field as well. And I know coming here, I can help out those two guys and they can help me out as well. I wanted to be around two people who have won before at a high level, and those two guys have.”
On the city of Nashville
“I love Nashville,” Hopkins said. “Every time we’ve played here I always tried to get out in the city and see the development of it because I have been playing here for a long time. I’ve come here in town and seen the restaurants – Nashville, it’ a good city, it’s welcoming.
“As soon as I got off the plane, even when I was on the plane, my neighbor sitting beside me was helping me with certain things in the city, telling me where to go. So, Nashville is a welcoming city, and I can tell they respect the people here who are in the position I am in. I am happy to be a part of it.”
On if he can still play at a high level
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Hopkins said. “I feel like I’ve always had something to prove, and that’s how I play my game. The decision to come to Nashville, obviously, made a lot of people mad. But I kind of felt at home being here from the get-go, from early on.”
On people underrating the Titans
“Tennessee is a team not many people put on their list, and I think I am not just speaking for myself, but the team as well, people are writing us off.”
On his excitement to get started
“I am very excited to go,” Hopkins said. “I wish we could go out there and practice tomorrow, but we have to do some conditioning. But this team and the roster that Ran and Vrabel have built is very competitive, and I am excited to be a part of it.”
