The months upon months of speculation have finally come to this. The Tennessee Titans did, indeed, trade wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that a deal was finalized between the Titans and Kansas City Chiefs. Tennessee would be getting a fifth-round pick in exchange for Hopkins. However, that pick could turn into a fourth rounder based on playing time and a Super Bowl appearance.
Talk about a complete 180 for Hopkins, now with a real opportunity to win his first-ever Super Bowl ring. And, of course, a deal like this resulted in plenty of varying social media reactions.
The most realistic reaction of all, though, was simply the fact that at the age of 32, Hopkins gets his deserved chance at winning a title. That's something we can all agree on, even though Titans fans are stuck trying to watch this sad excuse of a team left in the dust by Hopkins.
The Titans have some major problems that need fixing, especially after the Hopkins trade. But, this trade was simply Tennessee admitting to these issues and understanding that the 2025 offseason is going to be a big one. For the rest of this season, it's going to be tough to watch this football team.
Speaking of the rest of the season, how does the wide receiver depth chart look going forward?
Titans wide receiver depth chart after DeAndre Hopkins trade
WR1: Calvin Ridley
WR2: Tyler Boyd
WR3: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
WR4: Treylon Burks (currently on IR -- see below)
WR5: Jha'Quan Jackson
Even with Hopkins on the roster, the no. 1 option was supposed to be Calvin Ridley. So, that part doesn't change. However, maybe this deal further opens things up for the underrated Tyler Boyd, who is tied for the team-lead in receptions.
As for the rest of the depth, well, it's murky at best. First-round bust Treylon Burks was recently placed on injured reserve, meaning the Titans are going to have to call up someone from the practice squad or make a trade of their own. The former is obviously far more likely. Practice squad candidates to be called up include: Mason Kinsey, Bryce Oliver and Tay Martin.
Back to Burks, for a moment, though. When he ultimately comes back, is he even given much of an opportunity at this point? Or, are the Titans going to admit failure on that experiment? This wide receiver room is one that could look very, very different in 2025 beyond Ridley.
For now, fans will have to survive watching what looks to be a team that's fully on board with a rebuild in the coming offseason.