Titans can't repeat Derrick Henry mistake with DeAndre Hopkins

The Tennessee Titans presumably had a deal in place to trade running back Derrick Henry to the Baltimore Ravens prior to the 2023 NFL trade deadline. Ravens staff writer Cole Jackson first reported that last October. Jackson claimed that Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk vetoed the deal. For what it's worth, Henry appeared on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast in January and essentially confirmed that rumor, sans the intricate details.

Henry played out the 2023 season in Tennessee and received his appropriate send-off in a Week 18 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, rushing for 153 yards and a touchdown before addressing an emotional Nashville crowd. Fast forward to the offseason, and Henry signed with the Ravens anyway, with the Titans receiving nothing in exchange for his departure. Adding insult to injury, he currently leads the NFL in rushing by nearly 100 yards.

From an ownership perspective, Adams Strunk's presumable attachment to Henry was understandable. Henry had been a face-of-the-franchise talent for several running campaigns, and trading him to an ole-time rival Ravens would have been a bitter pill to swallow. Those are the things ownership considers when approving or nixing decisions. It also would have netted general manager Ran Carthon some much-needed draft capital, as he continues going through a rebuild that looks larger than first admitted, with the 1-4 Titans going nowhere fast.

The Titans can't possibly risk making the same mistake with DeAndre Hopkins.

The Titans must trade DeAndre Hopkins

Like Henry was, Hopkins is an aging asset on an expiring contract. Unlike Henry, the emotional attachment isn't nearly identical. Make no mistake, the five-time Pro Bowler is extremely well-liked in Nashville and inside Saint Thomas Sports Park, but he won't be going into the Hall of Fame in a Titans jersey someday, like Henry should.

The Titans did trade another player with emotional attachment to the franchise, in-season, when they sent Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for two late 2024 draft selections. Again, Byard is an all-time Titan, but Henry was operating in a different stratosphere.

And if you're wondering how that turned out, the Titans drafted cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson with those selections. Brownlee Jr. looks like a potential long-term starter on defense, and Jackson is starting on special teams. The selection the Titans would have acquired in exchange for Henry would have been significantly higher than those that Byard fetched, and that would have boded well for a GM that picked JC Latham and T'Vondre Sweat with his lone early selections.

The NFL trade deadline is November 5th and Hopkins may be the best remaining receiver on the market after both Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were traded mere hours apart earlier this week in deals that help the Titans set their asking price. It's difficult to say with certainty what Hopkins' value around the league is. His reputation isn't quite that of Adams and Cooper nowadays, but his production dating back to last season has been similar, and his salary is significantly cheaper, offering the Titans a potential bargaining chip.

Adams was traded for a conditional third that could develop into a second-round selection if he meets certain incentives, and Cooper was dealt for a third and seventh. The Titans are currently without a third-round pick in 2025 as a result of the L'Jarius Sneed trade. If Hopkins can fetch the Titans anything between a day two selection or multiple day threes, the Titans need to forego any emotional attachments and make the deal that improves their future outlook.