Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has a weapon at his disposal, as the team has reportedly signed star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins, 32, is one of the NFL’s best receivers in the past decade with five Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro nods to his name. He may not be quite the player he was in his younger days, but he’s still a solid weapon and a definite upgrade as Baltimore’s No. 3 receiver.
If anything, this signing is long overdue.
ackson a whole two years before they actually became teammates.
“I love Lamar Jackson,” Hopkins said. “Lamar Jackson’s one of my favorite athletes, and I’ve been watching sports since I’ve been watching sports. I’m a sports fan, I was watching Lamar when he played Clemson, my alumni [alma mater] and I was like ‘who is this kid?’ So I’ve been a fan of Lamar for a long time.
“He’s one of the greats, I would be lying to sit here and say it wouldn’t be an honor to one day, if my career allows me, to play with a great guy and a great quarterback like Lamar.”
Hopkins wasn’t just asked about Jackson out of the blue, however. This was around the time of Jackson’s high-profile contract dispute with the Ravens, and during that saga, a report emerged that he wanted the team to sign Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. to get him to stay. The Ravens signed Beckham to a one-year deal, but were unable to afford Hopkins at the time. Most importantly, they signed Jackson to a monster five-year extension, and he’s been playing at an MVP level ever since.
Signing Hopkins is better late than never, though, and rest assured, Jackson is happy with his new weapon.
