DeAndre Hopkins expected to sign with Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are expected to reel in the biggest name on the free-agent market.

Star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to sign with the Titans, he announced Sunday, reuniting the five-time All-Pro player with coaches Mike Vrabel, Tim Kelly and Charles London, with whom he worked during his prime years with the Houston Texans.

The Titans will sign Hopkins to a two-year deal with $26 million that can be up to $32 million in incentives, according to multiple reports.

Hopkins acknowledged the news with a photo posted to his Instagram account Sunday of him standing next to Titans star running back Derrick Henry with the caption "...".

Titans coach Mike Vrabel also acknowledged the news while playing in a celebrity golf tournament. In a video posted to Twitter by former NFL punter Pat McAfee, Vrabel said he knew the news about Hopkins choosing the Titans on Saturday.

The Titans can't comment officially on Hopkins' status until the signing becomes official in the coming days.

Hopkins is one of the best receivers of his generation, with 853 receptions for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns across 10 NFL seasons since being drafted out of Clemson.

The Arizona Cardinals released Hopkins in May after three seasons. Hopkins made the Pro Bowl and was named second-team All Pro in his first season with the Cardinals but was limited to just 19 games over the past two seasons as he battled through injuries and a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

In nine games last season, Hopkins caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns.

The Titans were the first team Hopkins visited after becoming a free agent, but the visit took place more than a month before Sunday's reports. In addition to the Titans, Hopkins also visited the New England Patriots.

Hopkins joins perhaps the least experienced receiver room in the NFL in Nashville. The Titans receivers are led by 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks, who dealt with injuries himself as a rookie, as well as veterans Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and second-year slot receiver Kyle Philips. The Titans drafted rookie receiver Colton Dowell in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft as well. No player on the Titans roster has as many receiving yards in his best season as Hopkins did in his worst.

The Titans have a track record of adding veteran receivers late in their careers. They traded for future Hall of Famer Julio Jones in 2021 and veteran Robert Woods in 2022 but neither receiver lasted more than one year with the team.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for the The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: DeAndre Hopkins to Tennessee Titans, giving franchise its WR boost