DeAndre Hopkins' free-agent tour is headed to Nashville.
Hopkins will fly to Tennessee on Sunday for a visit with the Titans, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday.
"The first thing is we want players that want to be here," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday, confirming the news of Hopkins' visit. "We'll work through anything else. We brought in a bunch of different players, and DeAndre will be somebody that we'll bring in next week, early next week, at the end of this week, and go through the same visit we'll go through with everybody and start the process."
Hopkins became a free agent when the Cardinals released him in late May after failing to find a worthwhile trade offer for the veteran receiver. Plenty of time has since been spent matching Hopkins with receiver-needy teams, but Tennessee hasn't been atop most lists of prospective fits.
The Titans do, however, need a receiver or two. Tennessee currently lists second-year target Treylon Burks as its best receiver, with fellow sophomore Kyle Philips starting in the slot and the slightly more experienced Nick Westbrook-Ikhine lining up opposite Burks. On paper, the Titans' best path to victory remains on the ground, with Derrick Henry handling the bulk of the workload.
"He's an awesome player, great player. It would be fun to play with him," Burks said Wednesday of Hopkins. "If we end up getting him, then we get him. If we don't, then we don't. No offense to him -- he's a great player -- I'm just glad, I like playing with who we have here."
Ryan Tannehill isn't among the first quarterbacks considered to be the most coveted passers for receivers, but he does have plenty of NFL experience. Rookie Will Levis also looms as both a threat to Tannehill's starting job and his eventual replacement.
Hopkins would instantly see a prominent role with this team, yet a fit remains curious, considering the Titans currently only have $7.9 million in cap space. It's not a pure money play, nor is it a blatant pursuit of a ring for Hopkins.
But after spending much of the last two seasons battling through injuries and a suspension, Hopkins is ensuring he vets every opportunity presented to him. Hopkins turned 31 on Tuesday, and will spend his birthday weekend in a celebration destination of a city.
We'll see if his visit determines his future.
