Why Titans traded DeAndre Hopkins to Chiefs, explained

The Tennessee Titans are moving on from veteran wide-out DeAndre Hopkins after just 1 1/2 seasons with the team.

Tennessee is reportedly sending the 32-year-old receiver to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. The Chiefs will send the Titans a fifth-round pick that can conditionally become a fourth-rounder if Hopkins reaches certain benchmarks.

Hopkins originally signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Titans as a free agent in 2023. He racked up 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns during his first year in Tennessee, but has seen his numbers tail off in 2024 (15 catches, 173 yards, one touchdown in six games).

Now, Hopkins will get a chance to work with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs while the Titans become the latest NFL team to acquire draft capital for a big-name receiver. The Las Vegas Raiders sent Davante Adams to the New York Jets ahead of Week 7 just hours before the Cleveland Browns traded receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills.

Here’s what to know about the Titans’ decision to trade Hopkins and what it means for their franchise’s future.

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Why did the Titans trade DeAndre Hopkins?

A few factors likely played into the Titans’ decision to trade Hopkins. First and foremost, the Titans are not a contender in 2024. They have posted a 1-5 record through six games to open the season, so trading Hopkins – who is on an expiring contract – for an asset that can accelerate the team’s rebuild seems like a smart move.

Hopkins’ expiring deal also plays a big role in the trade. The odds of him re-signing with the Titans don’t look particularly great, as he has seen a downturn in production in his first season working with head coach Brian Callahan. The 32-year-old is on pace for just 42 catches and 490 yards, which would both mark career-lows, and three touchdowns over a 17-game season.

If that output had continued, Hopkins may have looked for a change of scenery during the 2025 offseason. Ahead of his age-33 season, Hopkins would likely want to end up with a contender to chase his first Super Bowl ring.

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The Titans will also save a bit of money by offloading Hopkins. They would have owed him roughly $8 million for the rest of the 2024 NFL season, per Spotrac.com. They may still eat some of that salary to facilitate a deal with the Chiefs, but either way, Tennessee won’t be paying Hopkins the full allotment of what he’s owed. And the dead-cap hits associated with him ($10.25 million in 2024 and $5.89 million in 2025) certainly aren’t back-breaking.

The Titans also had an ideal trade partner in the Chiefs. Kansas City badly needed some wide receiver help after losing No. 1 target Rashee Rice for the season in Week 4 to a torn ACL and No. 2 receiver Hollywood Brown to a sternoclavicular injury in the preseason.

However, the Chiefs also had a goal not to surrender a top-100 draft pick as they attempted to acquire receiver help, per The MMQB’s Albert Breer. That made Hopkins one of the Chiefs’ best fits and allowed the Titans to get a fair price while turning an expiring contract into a future asset.

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Tennessee won’t be hurting too much at receiver without Hopkins, either. The Titans signed Calvin Ridley to a big-money contract during the 2024 offseason and has veteran Tyler Boyd on the roster as well. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who has proven to be an effective NFL role player, will likely draw into the lineup to replace Hopkins in three-receiver sets.

That gives the team plenty of weapons to help them evaluate whether Will Levis can be their long-term starting quarterback, which was one of Tennessee’s main goals entering the 2024 season.