NASHVILLE, Tenn. – So DeAndre Hopkins reached out to me about a Thursday tweet where I shared a few quotes I believed I got from him in a text exchange.

It turns out they were from someone with an old phone number of his who decided to play me by acting as if he was Hopkins when I reached out.

I foolishly fell for it, landing in a spot where I’ve got to write this post, apologize to you, thank him for being cool about it and walk away embarrassed and able to laugh at myself after a period of torture.

Who are we kidding? I'm still tortured.

I had hoped to be able to actually speak with him, of course, replacing some stand-in's words with his own but despite our DMs and texts after I did find his current number, I’ve not been able to pull that off. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Randy Moss, Andre Johnson and Julio Jones were tremendous receivers who offered hope to the Titans that they would bring some late-career juice.

Instead, Tennessee got virtually nothing out of them.

That's part of why doubt comes with DeAndre Hopkins.

But there are legitimate reasons to think the 31-year-old could be different, and I get into that in this week's edition of the Podcast.

The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube, which is below.

Other subjects I dive into:

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans have finally upgraded their wide receiver room with the reported addition of three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, a move that clearly announces their intention to compete for the AFC South title again in 2023.

Hopkins reportedly agreed to a two-year contract worth $26 million with incentives that could take the total value as high as $32 million. The total guarantees and overall structure of the deal have yet to be reported as of the time this was posted so it’s hard to comment too much on the value here.

But if Hopkins maxes out his incentives – which would require him to reach 85 catches, 1,050 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns – he’ll prove to be an absolute steal at $16 million per year, which would rank him as the 18th-highest-paid receiver in the league.

How likely is it that Hopkins reaches those incentives? And how does he fit in Tim Kelly’s offense? Those are the questions I want to dive into, starting with the fit.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The homestretch of quiet time was pleasantly interrupted by significant news: The Titans reached a deal with DeAndre Hopkins and added the sort of receiver for which their simply screamed.

There were so many elements about the addition for us to talk about, and I think we covered them all Tuesday evening on PK TV in one of our always excellent chats.

We hit on a wide range of other stuff as well, and if you missed it you should definitely hit play and check it out.

Just head to the private Facebook page or below.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The simple assault charge that hovered over Rashad Weaver from an incident just before the Titans drafted him in 2021 was concluded in late June, when the Allegheny Country District attorney’s office determined it was unwilling to move ahead with its prosecution and judge Anthony M. Mariani signed off.

At one point jury instructions were scheduled for this week.

An NFL official did not quickly reply to an inquiry but it seems likely Weaver is also now clear of any league discipline. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In adding DeAndre Hopkins to their roster, the Titans add a real Tennessee-killer

The last time the team faced its newest player was on opening day 2021, the only time he squared off with the Titans as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. He caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

In catches and yards, it was a below-average day for Hopkins, who’s feasted on Tennessee during his 10-year career, much of it with the division-rival Texans.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – DeAndre Hopkins’ 2022 season was derailed by a six-game PED suspension at the start and two games on the bench with a knee issue at the end.

That left him playing only nine games in his final season with the Cardinals.

Still in those nine, he averaged just over seven catches and just under 80 yards. His nine-game totals of 64 catches and 717 yards would have led the Titans in both categories and his three touchdowns would have tied him for second in scoring receptions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans’ offseason nonchalance with regard to receiver may be washed away if DeAndre Hopkins plays to form, as he’s soon to sign with Tennessee per Doug Kyed.

Hopkins, who regularly gave the Titans fits during his seven years with the Houston Texans won’t necessarily beat coverage with downfield speed.

But through his 10 years with the Texans and Cardinals, he’s shown an amazing penchant for snatching balls out of tight windows and frustrating defenders who thought they’d reduced or eliminated the danger of him as an option. [Unlocked]