NEW ORLEANS – DeAndre Hopkins said what he said, and he did what he did.
Here at Super Bowl LIX Opening Night, the former Titans receiver admitted before the masses he took himself out of the team's Week 6 game at Buffalo, and then asked for the team to trade him. He was frustrated with how the season was going, and his lack of opportunities in the offense.
The Titans honored his request, and they ended up trading him to the Kansas City Chiefs.
And for that, Hopkins said he's thankful.
On Wednesday morning, Hopkins talked in detail about his time in Tennessee. Hopkins said he was far from miserable, no matter how things might've sounded on Monday.
"I would say it was amazing," Hopkins said during Kansas City's media availability. "The city of Nashville is home still, I still live there, and post-football I feel like Nashville is going to be home for me. The organization, they treated me well. Miss Amy and Ran (Carthon) and his staff, they were great to me.
"My time there was never miserable," Hopkins continued. "It was actually some of the highlights of my career playing football, being in Tennessee. I'm the type player, I don't ever complain. I don't look at the records. I play for my teammates and my coaches. I think being able to play with Derrick Henry, one of the best running backs, being able to play with Ryan Tannehill, being able to play with a young Will Levis and help him develop. I take things like that as a challenge, and I never complained.
"I think being in Tennessee was one of the highlights of my career, even though we didn't get statistic-wise what we wanted to, I still think it was one of the best times of my career."
Despite how things ended, Hopkins said he has no regrets.
"I really have no regrets about anything in life," he said. "Everything happens for a reason. I just wish we could've gotten Nashville at least a Divisional championship. Obviously we had some coaching changes, and some players go down. But I still feel like we could have played some meaningful football."
Hopkins offered praise for Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.
"Miss Amy, that's an amazing woman," he said. "I think Miss Amy, she is one of the best owners in the NFL. She is competitive, she cares about her team, and she knows a lot about football, more than people thinks she knows."
Hopkins joined the Titans in 2023, after playing previously with Cardinals and Texans.
In 2023, Hopkins caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards while playing for a team that started 7-3, but ended with a 7-10 record after losing seven straight games to end the season.
In 2024, Hopkins played in just six games for the Titans before being traded for a fifth-round pick. He had 15 catches for 173 yards in Tennessee, with a touchdown. In 10 regular season games with the Chiefs, Hopkins tallied 41 catches for 437 yards with four touchdowns. Hopkins has just one catch for 11 yards in the postseason.
Hopkins, in his 12th NFL season, said he's thrilled to be in the Super Bowl.
"Words can't describe it," he said. "I knew one day I would be in this position, if it took me 15 years, or 20 years. I knew one day I would be playing in the Super Bowl. I always wanted to be able to prepare my body to be able to play as long as I needed to to get in that game, and I feel like I've done that, changed certain routines. I always knew in the back of my head I would be in this position one day."
As for the Titans, Hopkins said he wishes the team well.
Hopkins even shared his thoughts on how the team could get back on track.
"What has to happen?," he said. "It starts with your quarterback, and I feel like once they get a quarterback that is a franchise quarterback, they have all the pieces around it. They have Calvin Ridley over there, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine playing good football.
"I feel like for them it is getting a quarterback, or developing Will Levis to be their quarterback."
As for the city of Nashville, Hopkins said he'll be back.
"Nashville definitely hasn't seen the last of me," he said. "I have a publishing music company in Nashville, invested in some restaurants. So, Nashville definitely hasn't seen the last of me."
