The Kansas City Chiefs newest player, Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins, spoke to the media on Thursday. His answers were short and direct, and he pointed out the opportunity for him to play meaningful football games again.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when DeAndre Hopkins spoke to the Kansas City media on Thursday. I’ve heard he’s a great person, a family man, and loyal to his teammates. As a member of the Chiefs, he now gets to play January and February on a team favored to win their third consecutive Super Bowl.
The Chiefs’ decision to trade for Hopkins was easy. As usual, the most apparent moves tend to be more complicated. Between draft compensation and salary cap restrictions, Kansas City and Tennessee found a path.
When learning of the trade to Kansas City, Hopkins was excited and appreciative of the Titans, who, as he said, could have traded him to any team. Instead, he gets to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes.
“I’ve always been a fan of Pat,” Hopkins said. “I’m excited to get started. He’s one of the best to do it. I’m a fan of his, so I can’t wait.”
Mahomes has to be equally excited to have a talented player like Hopkins, who should be able to get acclimated quickly to his new receiver.
Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy indicated that Hopkins would get a crash course between now and Saturday to familiarize him with the differences between the Chief’s and Titans’ offenses.
Head Coach Andy Reid intends to get him on the field Sunday, and Hopkins seems to be okay with that because he understands the driving force behind the Chiefs’ success.
“Everything that everyone does here is detailed. That’s how you win Championships,” Hopkins stated.
Still, as a polished player amid his 12th NFL season, Hopkins’s addition became necessary because Skyy Moore, who was placed on injured reserve today, and JuJu Smith-Schuster reaggravated his hamstring. Hollywood Brown might not return until December, but Hopkins was the perfect plug-and-play receiver this team needed.
Everyone knows Hopkins has been one of the best receivers in the NFL for over a decade. At 32, some question what he’s got left. Based on his comments today, I suspect he has a few highly productive seasons left.
“Being traded to a team like Kansas City it takes your focus, your drive, knowing you’re playing for something. It takes your game to a different level,” he said.
The Chiefs are the best team in the NFL, but they’ve had issues scoring points. With injuries mounting at the receiver position, Mahomes has kept the offense together with grit, glue, and incredible talent.
It’s amazing how we got here because this season had so much promise with the signing of Hollywood Brown, the second-year expectation for Rashee Rice, and the excitement behind first-round draft pick Xavier Worthy.
The natural expectation was that this offense would return to its early days. To date, Mahomes has just six interceptions and leads the league in eight. So, adding Hopkins might make his job a little easier going forward.
Yet, if he can make it work, Brown and Running Back, Isiah Pacheco may be back in December. That means this offense could become what we expected before the injuries piled up.
Should that happen, Hopkins might be the lynchpin to restoring order on offense.
