A former Clemson Tigers star wide receiver has dropped some bold comments about his NFL future.
There are plenty of former Clemson Tigers stars playing at the NFL level. On both sides of the football, the program has turned out quite a few star players who have found a lot of success at the professional level.
One of those players is veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Throughout his three-year tenure in college with the Tigers, Hopkins was a bonafide star. He racked up 205 receptions for 3,009 yards and 27 touchdowns. That led to him being the No. 27 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Since heading off into the NFL, Hopkins has continued being a star. He has played in 195 games across 13 seasons.
In those 195 games, the 34-year-old wideout has caught 1,006 passes for 13,295 yards and 85 touchdowns.
Last season, Hopkins played in 17 games for the Baltimore Ravens. He caught just 22 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers led to question marks about whether or not he was starting to show regression to the point of potential retirement.
Despite those question marks he is facing, Hopkins remains confident that he still has good football left in front of him.
“As I go into my 14th year, of course, I love playing the game, I still love football. But if nothing happens, life is still good, and I’m looking forward to that next chapter,” Hopkins said.
“I still got a lot of ball left, but it’s not a situation that I’m sitting here trying to force, or go out and be the regular season superstar. Because that’s for the young guys, that’s for the people that they want to develop, and get those contracts to look at the future.”
He also made it clear that he knows he is no longer a No. 1 option for a team. But, he still sees himself being able to play an important role within an offense.
“I know in my position, I’m a utility guy,” he said. “I’m a special situation kind of guy. I can go out there and beat anybody one-on-one, anytime. As of lately, I’ve been a third-down guy. I wasn’t used in the red zone last year. But third down, they can come to me. So, I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.”
Hopefully, Hopkins is able to find a good landing spot ahead of the 2026 NFL season. He remains a free agent right now, but his confidence is clear that he can still make an impact.
Expect to hear more about Hopkins' NFL future soon. It is very likely that some team will decide to give him a chance.
