DeAndre Hopkins isn’t at Patriots training camp to make a roster. He’s there to figure out what comes next.
The three-time first-team All-Pro is spending this week in Foxborough working alongside New England’s offensive coaches and personnel staff, head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Friday as veterans reported for camp. Hopkins showed up in coaching gear, not pads.
“DeAndre Hopkins is here with us … just to kind of check things out as far as what he wants to do, as far as coaching. You’ll see him on the field,” Vrabel said.
Hopkins is still technically a free agent. He hasn’t retired. But at 34, coming off the quietest statistical season of his career, this looks less like a workout and more like a trial run at what happens when the playing days end.
A Career-Low Season in Baltimore
Hopkins spent last season with the Ravens, and the numbers told a different story than the one he’s used to writing. He caught 22 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns across 17 games, a career-low output for a receiver who once ranked among the league’s most reliable targets. According to the Ravens’ own team site, Hopkins was not re-signed this offseason.
He hasn’t shut the door on playing. Last month, Hopkins said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he still believes he has “a lot of ball left,” but he’s not interested in forcing his way onto a roster or fighting for a developmental role built for younger players.
How Hopkins and Vrabel Got Here
This isn’t a cold introduction. Hopkins and Vrabel go back over a decade. They were together in Houston from 2014 to 2017, when Vrabel worked his way from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator for the Texans. They reunited in 2023 in Tennessee, Vrabel’s final season as the Titans’ head coach, when Hopkins put up his last 1,000-yard year: 75 catches, 1,057 yards, seven touchdowns.
“Him and I talked, and he asked if he could come hang out for a couple days and be around the coaches and be around the personnel department,” Vrabel said, according to the Patriots’ official team site. “I called the league and made sure that that was gonna be OK. Then I invited him back, and that’s where he’s been the last couple days, and he’ll be here for the next couple days.”
Because Hopkins hasn’t formally retired, Vrabel said he cleared the arrangement with the league office before bringing him in — a procedural detail that matters, since an active player can’t simply embed with a coaching staff without the NFL signing off.
Not a Backdoor Tryout
Vrabel wanted to be unambiguous about what this is not. New England already carries 12 receivers on its training camp roster, and the coach shut down any suggestion that Hopkins might change his mind and suit up.
“He has got coaching gear on, and he is helping out the offensive coaches and meeting with our personnel guys,” Vrabel said, per NBC Sports. “He loves football. People that love football and have played the game for the length of time that he did [want] to, I think, explore the opportunities and what that looks like after his playing career is over.”
Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones welcomed the addition, telling reporters Hopkins’ presence carries weight in the building regardless of his title. “Unbelievable player. The expertise is much respected by everyone in the DB role, so having him in the building means a lot,” Jones said, according to Get More Sports. Jones added that younger receivers and defensive backs alike could benefit from picking Hopkins’ brain on route running.
| Category | Career Total |
|---|---|
| Receptions | 1,006 (17th all-time) |
| Receiving Yards | 13,295 (18th all-time) |
| Touchdowns | 85 (tied 19th all-time) |
| 2025 Stats (Ravens) | 22 catches, 330 yards, 2 TD |
What It Means Going Forward
Nothing here is official. Hopkins isn’t listed on New England’s coaching staff page, and Vrabel’s language points to an informal, hands-on look rather than a job offer. This is a former star testing the water, not a hire.
Still, the fit makes sense on paper. Vrabel has repeatedly brought in coaches and staffers he trusts from past stops — offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels coached him as a player in New England, and he brought several former Titans assistants with him when he took the Patriots job. A short-term look at Hopkins fits that same pattern, even if it’s just a few days on the practice field for now.
Whether Hopkins ends up chasing one more season as a player or pivots toward coaching and scouting full time, the next few days in Foxborough should tell him — and the Patriots — a lot about which direction makes more sense.
