The Baltimore Ravens turned things over to Jesse Minter, and he is fleshing out his coaching staff. And DeAndre Hopkins said he understands the harsh reality of possibly returning to the Ravens with Minter.
Hopkins caught just 22 passes for 330 yards and two scores this season. He said the regime change may not work for him, according to UP & Adams via NBC Sports.
“The reality of it, having a new offensive coordinator, being an older guy, I know football, and I know how the business side works,” Hopkins said. “I would love to come back, but not every offensive coordinator is wanting a veteran receiver on their team. Some guys have different dynamics of how they go about coaching. It’s nothing personal.”
Ravens hoping to get back on playoff track
They certainly have a capable quarterback in Lamar Jackson. And Hopkins said that’s a draw for him to want to be back in Baltimore.
“Obviously, Lamar and I had a great connection,” Hopkins said. “I think when he came to me, I might have been Top 10 in productive receivers in the NFL when the ball came my way. I love Baltimore, and me being a competitor, I would have loved to be used more, even though we had Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Isaiah Likely.
“I’m always gonna have that mindset that I want to be in the game. That will never change, but it doesn’t upset me that I wasn’t. It doesn’t make me a bad teammate, I’m still cheering the guys on that are in the game, but I felt that I could have been used more.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Hopkins turned in the second-most yardage this season among Ravens’ wide receivers. The passing attack was not quite as dynamic in 2025. A lot of that had to do with Jackson’s injury woes.
Whether the Ravens get back to being more explosive is yet to be seen with a new coaching staff. And whether they feel like Hopkins is the right fit is also up in the air.
