{"id":831942,"date":"2026-03-24T23:47:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T23:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/831942\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T23:47:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T23:47:11","slug":"deandre-hopkins-wants-a-5-million-salary-for-the-2026-nfl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/831942\/","title":{"rendered":"DeAndre Hopkins wants a $5 million salary for the 2026 NFL season"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 24, 2026, 5:59 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

The discussions about a possible DeAndre Hopkins and Baltimore Ravens<\/a> reunion haven’t ended, that is, if you ask Hopkins his opinion. There hasn’t been any public evidence that such talks are underway, but\u00a0the respected veteran hasn’t shied away from saying<\/a> he’d be intrigued if asked to return<\/a>. Recently, he added to the conversation by naming his price.<\/p>\n

Hopkins, never one to shy away from speaking candidly, recently addressed his feelings about how Baltimore’s season ended<\/a>. In that same conversation, he painted the picture of the type of deal he’d seek if Baltimore shows renewed interest. Referencing last season’s contract, he stated plainly, \u201cI think we were at five [million] last year\u2026 I ain\u2019t mad at that. I\u2019d like the same thing.\u201d Some might say that’s a modest figure by modern wide receiver standards, especially for a player with his resume.<\/p>\n

There’s also a level of self-awareness in Hopkins’ stance. He acknowledged not fully capitalizing on his opportunities, citing limited availability and missed chances to contribute, particularly in high-leverage situations like the red zone. Still, he made it clear he believes he has more to offer, even if he’s no longer carrying the load as a true top option.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the Ravens might be more willing to meet DeAndre Hopkins at $4 million?<\/p>\n

That’s where things get interesting for Baltimore. The Ravens are in a transitional phase, building around Lamar Jackson. They are also trying to balance youth and experience across the roster.<\/p>\n

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n

Hopkins, at this stage of his career, fits more as a complementary piece than a focal point. Truthfully, that might be the best-case scenario for both sides. There’s a strong argument to prioritize younger legs and long-term upside, especially with veterans like Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews already carrying significant mileage, but if Hopkins remains available after the draft and a need still exists, the conversation becomes more practical.<\/p>\n

At the right price, perhaps closer to $4 million on a one-year deal, he could provide value as a third or fourth option in the passing game. He has reliable hands, veteran awareness, and situational effectiveness. All of that still matters.<\/p>\n

It may not be the flashiest move, but it’s one the Ravens could justify. At the very least, Hopkins has made one thing clear: He’s still open for business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 24, 2026, 5:59 p.m. ET The discussions about a possible DeAndre Hopkins and Baltimore Ravens reunion haven’t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":831943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2052],"tags":[95878,184,117,2282,7,6,169,96963,96964,95882,97801,96715,101970,95899,95906,95883,95881],"class_list":{"0":"post-831942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baltimore-ravens","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-baltimore","10":"tag-baltimore-ravens","11":"tag-baltimoreravens","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-ravens","15":"tag-sstssportsnflravens","16":"tag-sstsnravens","17":"tag-tagamerican-football","18":"tag-tagdeandre-hopkins","19":"tag-tagderrick-henry","20":"tag-tagmark-andrews","21":"tag-tagoverall-neutral","22":"tag-tagoverall-positive","23":"tag-tagsports-news","24":"tag-typestory"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116286825896976983","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=831942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=831942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=831942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=831942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}