By On Sunday, DeAndre Hopkins can finally put on the mink.
When the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver was just five months old, his father died in a car crash, leaving him and his three siblings to be raised by his mother. From that tragedy, Hopkins built himself into one of the NFL’s best wide receivers of the last decade. His resumé includes five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams and nearly 1,000 catches over 12 years.
The one thing Hopkins didn’t have: A Super Bowl appearance. That changes on Sunday, and he can finally wear his dad’s mink.
“My dad died in 1992 and he left me a couple things, and one of the things that he left me was a mink jacket,” Hopkins told reporters this week. “And so I always said I would wear that mink jacket to my wedding or to the Super Bowl, whichever one happened first.”
“And so, obviously I’m not married so Imma wear my daddy’s mink jacket.”
“It’s gonna mean a lot. My dad was the leader of the family, a leader of our community. So it means a lot, just being able to have a little bit of him with me. He’s watching, you know, he’s listening … he right here with me at all times,” Hopkins added on Thursday.
It’s one of those facts that sounds almost unbelievable to any football fan: DeAndre Hopkins has never played in a Super Bowl. The Clemson alum has been one of the game’s most dominant wide receivers since he came into the league, even though he’s endured some of the most turbulent scenarios a star player can encounter.
He was traded away from the Houston Texans after seven incredible seasons. The Arizona Cardinals just straight up cut him after three seasons in the desert. And the Tennessee Titans reduced his role this season as a new coaching staff came in and put their stamp on the team.
His journey seemed destined to be one of those anecdotal tales about how hard it is to win in the NFL, how even the best players aren’t guaranteed the chance to play for the sport’s biggest prize. But it was when he was at his lowest that Hopkins was given the opportunity to check off the biggest thing on his to-do list.
“Man, that was probably one of the worst games of my career as a player, not for statistics, but I wasn’t included in the game plan,” he said on Monday about the Titans-Bills game on October 20. “I was out there running around, man, and I was like, damn. And I actually benched myself. And I never took myself out any game. I’m a competitor, I would play this game for free, man. And … something in me was like, ‘Nah, man, just remove yourself. Something bigger is coming.’”
After that game, he went into then-Titans general manager Ran Carthon’s office and told him that his situation in Nashville was making him lose his love for football. Carthon understood. A day later, Hopkins was traded to Kansas City.
Suddenly, what looked to be a moribund season near the end of a glittering career – the Titans ended up 3-14, the worst record in the league – Hopkins was handed a ticket to a team seeking history. And, finally, a chance to put on his dad’s mink.
A first-round draft pick by the Texans in 2013, Hopkins came out of Clemson and immediately made an impact in the professional game. He caught 52 passes for 802 yards in his rookie season and then proceeded to go over 1,000 yards receiving for six of the next seven years.
But that personal success did not exactly translate to deep runs in the playoffs for his team. The Texans had five winning seasons in his seven years but never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. Hopkins gained a reputation as a dominant receiver, among the first names mentioned when talking about who was the best in the game. But every year, he sat at home watching the season’s biggest game on TV.
After seven seasons in Houston, the Texans made the stunning decision to trade Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson and a couple of draft picks. It’s a move that the Texans would come to regret – Johnson was off the team after two middling seasons, one draft pick was traded away and another didn’t pan out.
“When the Texans traded me, obviously they didn’t have the years that they wanted to have in a trade and then go how they thought it might, but that’s football,” Hopkins said. “And so, for me, I don’t really look at it as like I wish bad on ‘em, because I love (them) – I still live in Houston. I love the city of Houston, but obviously trades don’t always go your way as an organization.”
The move looked like it would be a boon for the Cardinals. In his first season in Glendale, Hopkins caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards. Injuries limited him in the next two seasons and the Cardinals never advanced past the opening round of the playoffs. In the spring of 2023, Arizona made another stunning decision: They released Hopkins and made him a free agent.
The trade from Houston and his release from the Cardinals were both moves that shocked the NFL world. Hopkins is now grateful for them.
“Team definitely felt like they were better without me. And, you know, s**t, they could have been, you know?” Hopkins said. “So, I’m just grateful that I’m here, and everything happened the way it happened. I’m thankful for every GM that traded me or released me honestly, because without them, I wouldn’t be in this position, man.”
Hopkins signed with the Titans after his release from the Cardinals and proceeded to have a bounce-back season. He caught 75 passes, went over 1,000 yards again – but it was once more for a losing team. The Titans underachieved, going 6-11, and then decided to fire head coach Mike Vrabel.
That meant the 2024 season would be another rebuilding year for Hopkins and the Titans. With time ticking on his career – Hopkins is 32 and in his 12th year – the wide receiver felt like he was staring into the abyss.
“I was obviously on a team that wasn’t playing for a division title or a conference title. So, going into my 12th year, there were thoughts where I was like, ‘Man, am I ever going to have a chance to play meaningful football?’” he said.
After that game against Buffalo, Hopkins got his answer.
“The biggest thing I learned this year was be patient,” he said. “I started off on the team in Tennessee, who – it wasn’t looking good. And I was patient. I felt that I was hoping that something would come out this year. You know, I heard rumors about me being traded and, I just kind of thought to myself, I hope I get traded to a competitor where I can kind of finish off my year strong.”
It didn’t take long for the veteran wide receiver to realize what makes the Chiefs successful. He said the organization just has a “championship culture.”
Hopkins added, “From the first day I walked in, there was a mindset – it’s a standard, and it’s expected for us to be here. And I think that’s the difference between this place and other places, it’s not just winning the division, but it’s … this game coming up.”
For his new teammates and coaches, they also quickly learned that they didn’t just bring in a wide receiver with an elite skillset. Head coach Andy Reid said Hopkins quickly asserted himself as a leader on the team and he’s served as a mentor to some of the team’s younger receivers.
“I knew we were getting a good player, played against him quite a little bit, but I didn’t know the leadership part,” Reid told reporters. “He’s been tremendous that way. He hasn’t complained that we’re spreading the ball around or utilizing other guys along with him. He’s willing to share in that way. So that whole senior leadership part that he’s brought, I really appreciated. And he’s a unique route runner. He knows how to set things up. He shared that with some of the guys, and I appreciate that part.”
Xavier Worthy, the rookie speedster who is playing in a Super Bowl in his first season in the league, said he’s been learning lessons from Hopkins that will shape his career for years to come.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from D-Hop is just how he takes care of his body,” Worthy said. “He really teaches me the things to do for my body and he helps me a lot with my recovery and understanding your body is your moneymaker so go out here and take care of your body and perform well.”
A more superstitious person probably wouldn’t let himself speak aloud what he thinks it’d be like to win a Super Bowl.
But when a player has been chasing a chance to get in this game as long as Hopkins has, it’s difficult not to give voice to those dreams.
“My kids are coming to the game, and they come to the games but not a lot. And so for them to be able to come to this game right here, definitely it means a lot to me,” Hopkins said. “Hopefully they can play in the confetti after.”
Hopkins’ path to this point is inspiring to his teammates, including tight end Travis Kelce – part of the same draft class back in 2013.
“Guys like Kareem Hunt, D-Hop, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown – guys that have been in the building that have been working their tail off to get to where we are today, and have really stepped up in big, crucial moments for this team, and you’ll see that on Sunday,” Kelce told reporters. “But I want it for those guys just as much as I want it for myself.”
Hopkins doesn’t believe he necessarily needs a Super Bowl championship as the final piece of his resumé, but it’s clear that the chance to play in the sport’s biggest game means more to him than it might have earlier in his career.
He said the opportunity to have his kids see him play in the Super Bowl provides an extra bit of motivation, and sharing the moment with his mother makes it all the more special. Sabrina Greenlee has never been able to physically see her son play football in the NFL – she was blinded more than 20 years ago by an acid attack. All through his time in football, Hopkins has made a tradition of handing his mother the ball after he scores so she knows that it was him who got the touchdown.
His mom taught him to believe in himself and always have faith. With just one game to go, Hopkins is just one step away from that faith and belief in himself resulting in a Super Bowl championship.
“Man, it’s been a dream come true. It’s been amazing. I’m just grateful that the Chiefs allowed me to be part of it and felt that I could help them get here,” he said. “Being traded midway through the season as a veteran really doesn’t happen that often. And so for myself, man, it’s a unique situation. But they’ve embraced me, and I’ve embraced the situation.”
