Everything about the marriage between the Kansas City Chiefs and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is feeling rather special these days.
The Chiefs landed Hopkins via a trade with the Tennessee Titans less than two weeks ago as part of a strategy to shore up the offense, which had lost numerous pass catchers to injury in the first half of the season. And while most fans likely expected positive returns on the deal given the weight of the need, few could have predicted just how good Hopkins would look in K.C.
Even from his first catch in his first game, which brought a nice first down for the Chiefs in Week 8, Hopkins has looked the part of a playmaker for K.C. However, it was his incredibly strong showing in all areas of the game on Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that wowed audiences, especially given his chemistry and trust with Patrick Mahomes as illustrated by 2 touchdowns.
For the Chiefs, Hopkins' arrival has been a breath of fresh air in a season in which names like Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice have been sidelined for the long-term. But as it turns out, Kansas City has been good for Hopkins as well. After years and years with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals, playing for Andy Reid and company is a nice new chapter in his career.
Had a chance to ask JJ Watt his thoughts on DeAndre Hopkins to KC, he sounds thrilled for D-Hop 👇 pic.twitter.com/nh6IH7jYWy
— Sterling Holmes (@HomestretchKC) November 6, 2024
On a recent episode of our podcast Stacking the Box, our pal Sterling Holmes caught up with legendary pass rusher J.J. Watt, who was a longtime teammates of Hopkins in Texas. He spoke with Holmes about what both sides bring to each other in what is a true win-win scenario for both sides.
"I mean, he’s got one of the best catch radiuses in all of football," said Watt. "He’s got some of the best hands in all of football. I’m so happy for D-Hop just because he’s gone through some years on some teams. He’s been on some teams and caught balls from a whole lot of quarterbacks. No disrespect to anyone else he’s caught balls from, but he’s never caught balls from a guy like Patrick Mahomes.
"So I’m very happy for him that he’s now getting to play with one of the best quarterbacks of all time on one of the best teams of all time," he continued. "Hopefully, he gets a chance to do a very special thing."