Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins officially signed his contract with the Titans on Monday and said that familiarity with a couple of the team’s coaches helped direct him toward Tennessee.
Hopkins was on the Texans when Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was their linebackers coach and defensive coordinator and when Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly held the same position in Houston. Hopkins said he “wanted to be somewhere where I knew people had my best interests” in mind on and off the field before noting that he “absolutely” believes that he can still produce at a high level.
Hopkins said that Vrabel is the right coach to ensure that he achieves that kind of production.
“Vrabel is a straight-shooter, and over my career he has always checked in on me,” Hopkins said, via the team’s website. “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.”
A suspension and injuries have limited Hopkins to 19 games over the past two seasons, so staying on the field will join Vrabel’s presence as factors into whether Hopkins can reach his full potential in Tennessee this year.