DeAndre Hopkins is relishing the opportunity to suit up for an NFL contender – something he hasn’t been able to do for quite some time.

On Thursday, the Chiefs officially acquired Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick. The draft capital will become a fourth-rounder should the wideout play 60 percent of snaps for his new team and Kansas City make the Super Bowl.

The opportunity to play for a winning organization such as the Chiefs is not lost on Hopkins, who’s played for several bad teams in the latter half of his decorated career. Since signing with Tennessee as a free agent in the 2023 offseason, the Titans have gone 7-16 over the last two seasons and currently find themselves in the basement of the AFC South.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since being traded, Hopkins sounded thrilled to now be playing for an NFL juggernaut. “It means a lot,” he said. “It takes your game to a different level. It takes your focus, your drive, knowing that you’re playing for something. It takes your game to a different level.”

Looking back on his tenure with the Titans and Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins didn’t mince words, adding: “I haven’t played meaningful football in a couple years since we probably started 8-0 in Arizona. So it takes your game to a different level.”

With seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons and three first-team All-Pro selections already under his belt, Hopkins insisted that a deep run in the playoffs was one of the few feats still left on his list. “I think I’ve done a lot, all the accolades that I can accomplish as far as personal,” he said. “So I think just playing meaningful football in January is what’s left on the list.”

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DeAndre Hopkins conceded that he didn't play meaningful football with the Tennessee Titans

DeAndre Hopkins conceded that he didn’t play meaningful football with the Tennessee Titans ( 

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Despite taking an unsubtle dig at his former team, Hopkins did express gratitude towards Titans’ top brass for sending him to such a desirable destination. “I’ve got to thank [Titans general manager] Ran [Carthon] and his staff for trading me to a contender, first of all because those guys could’ve traded me anywhere,” he told reporters.

The addition of Hopkins is surely a welcome sight for the Chiefs, who’ve dealt with a myriad of injuries to their wide receiver corps this season. Rashee Rice is reportedly “unlikely” to play again this season after undergoing surgery to repair his knee, which he injured in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, meanwhile, was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss the entirety of the regular season due to a shoulder injury he sustained in Kansas City’s preseason opener. More recently, JuJu Smith-Schuster was ruled out for the Chiefs-Raiders game with a sore hamstring, while Skyy Moore was placed on IR on Thursday.

With few other options at their disposal, Reid confirmed that he expects Hopkins to play on Sunday. “He’s a good, veteran player and has seen just about everything over 12 years, and he’s a good space player so he has a very good understanding how to work in space at the same time,” he said of the 12-year NFL veteran.

“He’s a tough matchup because of his size, arm length, big body that knows how to play that in low post area very well.”