The five-time Pro Bowler is unsigned heading into 2026 and says if Minnesota calls, he will answer. He also thinks Murray fits the Vikings perfectly.
The five-time Pro Bowler is unsigned heading into 2026 and says if Minnesota calls, he will answer. He also thinks Murray fits the Vikings perfectly.
DeAndre Hopkins is 33 years old, unsigned, and not particularly interested in slowing down. Speaking candidly at Los Angeles International Airport this week, the veteran wide receiver laid out his thinking on free agency and left little doubt about which situation excites him most.
A reunion with Kyler Murray in Minnesota, Hopkins made clear, would suit him just fine.
Hopkins on Kyler Murray and the Vikings
The two spent three seasons together in Arizona, from 2020 through 2022, and the connection they built during that stretch clearly stuck. Hopkins spoke about Murray with the kind of warmth that goes beyond professional respect. He described the quarterback as family, someone he would show up for without hesitation if the call came.
His message to the Vikings was straightforward. If the team needs him, he is ready. Hopkins framed it less as a pitch and more as a standing offer, the kind that comes from genuine loyalty rather than a negotiating position.
He also acknowledged that Minnesota already has one of the best receivers in the league in Justin Jefferson, and rather than treating that as a reason to look elsewhere, he pointed to it as a reason the fit could work. A team built around a receiver of Jefferson’s caliber does not need a second star to carry the offense. It needs a complement, someone who can win contested catches, move the chains, and take pressure off the primary target. Hopkins believes he can do that.
A case for staying relevant at 33
The broader argument Hopkins made was about his own standing in the league. He pushed back on any suggestion that age has caught up with him, insisting he remains capable of producing at a high level both physically and mentally. That framing matters at this stage of a career. Teams evaluating older free agents tend to weigh body of work against recent performance, and Hopkins is aware of that calculus.
He spent the 2025 season with the Baltimore Ravens, adding another chapter to a career that already includes five Pro Bowl selections and a sustained run as one of the most physically imposing receivers in the game. The Ravens chapter was relatively brief, but Hopkins has made clear it did not represent a farewell.
Murray fits Minnesota
Hopkins also addressed Murray’s situation directly, expressing confidence that the quarterback will thrive with the Vikings. Minnesota acquired Murray earlier this offseason, and the move generated significant attention around the league. Hopkins, who watched Murray develop up close during their Arizona years, offered an endorsement without reservation. He described the fit as natural, suggesting the Vikings‘ offensive structure suits what Murray does best.
That read tracks with how Murray played in his best seasons. When healthy and operating within a scheme that allows him to move, extend plays, and attack defenses from different angles, he is a difficult problem to solve. Hopkins believes Minnesota gives him that environment.
Africa, perspective, and what comes next
Away from football, Hopkins recently returned from a trip to Africa that he described as genuinely affecting. He spoke about the experience with the kind of perspective that tends to surface when athletes step outside the rhythms of a season. The details he shared suggested a trip that went beyond tourism, one that left a real impression.
That grounding may also explain some of the ease in how he discussed free agency. Hopkins is not scrambling. He knows what he brings, he knows who he wants to play with, and he is willing to wait for the right situation. If Minnesota is not that situation, he will find another one. But right now, the Vikings are clearly where his head is at.