The Baltimore Ravens didn’t use wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins correctly in 2025 — 1 of the many reasons they went 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
That coaching malpractice led to the firing of head coach John Harbaugh and may have sparked a new career path for Hopkins, a 5-time NFL All-Pro and 5-time Pro Bowler who was a 1st-round pick by the Houston Texans in the 2013 NFL draft.
“DeAndre Hopkins is joining the Patriots at training camp to explore a potential post-playing career in coaching or scouting,” Yahoo Sports wrote on its official X account on Saturday. “New England head coach Mike Vrabel explained ‘DeAndre Hopkins is here with us, just to kind of check things out as far as what he wants to do as far as coaching. … You’ll see him on the field.’ ”
Vrabel was a defensive assistant and defensive coordinator for the Texans for 4 seasons with Hopkins on the roster and was also his head coach on the Tennessee Titans in 2023.
“I remember talking to (former Texans head coach) Bill O’Brien once about Hop,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer wrote on his official X account. “He said Hopkins is the best WR he’s ever seen in terms of operating along the sideline. His ability to stay in bounds, tap his toes, blindly find the sideline, allow QBs to throw the ball well out of bounds, and keep his body inbounds is second to none. If I’m a Patriots wide receiver, I’m picking his brain on this specifically as much as possible.”
Hopkins’ decision to join the Patriots came 1 day after a visit with the team.
“DeAndre Hopkins is here visiting the Patriots, per Mike Vrabel, with Vrabel saying Hopkins is considering the possibility of a coaching career,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote on his official X account on Friday.
Patriots Shocked NFL in Vrabel’s 1st Season
Vrabel, who won 3 Super Bowls as a player for the Patriots, shocked the NFL by leading a turnaround from 3-14 in 2024 to winning an AFC Championship and playing in the Super Bowl in his 1st season as head coach in 2025.
“DeAndre Hopkins spent last season with the Ravens where he set career lows with 22 receptions and 330 receiving yards,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote on his official X account on Friday. “Now, after 13 seasons in the NFL, Hopkins is exploring the possibility of coaching. Hopkins, 34, currently ranks 18th on the league’s all-time receiving list (13,295 yards).”
Ravens Misused DeAndre Hopkins in 1 Season
The Ravens didn’t use Hopkins correctly in his 1 season with the team in 2025, but as much as Hopkins wants to think it does, that doesn’t make him special. The Ravens didn’t use any part of their offense correctly in 2025. It wasn’t just him.
That reality hasn’t stopped Hopkins from complaining about his role, even though he was signed to be the WR3 option from the jump, and at 34 years old, he’s spent the offseason to this point trying to make his case for another team to sign him.
“I know in my position, I’m a utility guy,” Hopkins said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on June 24. “I’m a special situation kind of guy. I can go out there and beat anybody one on one at any time, but as of lately, I’ve been a third-down guy. I wasn’t used in the red zone last year. But (on) third down, they’re gonna put D-Hop in, they’re gonna come to me. I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon … going into year 14, I would love to play for a competitor if that time came, but I’m not in no rush to go out and be a regular-season superstar because for me, I’m not getting a contract extension.”
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