Popular WR Rumor Is Back for Vikings
In mid-March, five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins point-blank admitted that he wanted to join the Minnesota Vikings’ roster for the 2026 campaign. Six weeks later, though Hopkins has signed nowhere, CBS Sports still believes he’s the right man for the Vikings’ vacant WR3 job.
Minnesota skipped March and April wideouts, leaving the veteran market open for one more pass-catching swing.
Minnesota curiously didn’t draft any wideouts in April, making men like Hopkins applicable for May free-agent theories.
Hopkins’ Murray Connection Keeps Vikings Rumor Alive
As a redzone target, Hopkins could move the needle.
CBS Sports: Vikings Are a Landing Spot for Hopkins
In addition to the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and Los Angeles Rams, the Vikings made the cut on Jordan Dajani’s list of Hopkins’s destinations.
He explained, “The Minnesota Vikings have a new quarterback in Kyler Murray, whom Hopkins is very familiar with. The two players spent three seasons together with the Arizona Cardinals from 2020-2022.”
“Hopkins’ first season in Arizona was one of his best, as he caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. The Vikings have a talented wide receiving room headlined by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but adding a WR3 like Hopkins who has established chemistry with Murray would be ideal.”
Most would consider Hopkins an upgrade over current WR3 Tai Felton, who barely played on offense as a rookie in 2025.
Hopkins’s Numbers Over the Years
Hopkins now appears to be more of a complementary receiver than a top-tier WR1. In his prime, Hopkins was a dominant force, consistently serving as the Texans’ undisputed focal point on offense. He was a go-to target who delivered season after season, overwhelming defenses.
However, his recent performance tells a different story. In 2025, Baltimore targeted Hopkins only 39 times — a significantly low figure for a player of his past caliber. This reduced usage, suggesting a WR3 role rather than that of an offensive centerpiece, mirrored his 2024 statistics with Kansas City and Tennessee.
This context makes a potential fit with the Vikings logical. With Justin Jefferson firmly established as their primary target and Jordan Addison playing a significant role, Minnesota doesn’t require another top receiver. Instead, Hopkins could fill a valuable niche lower on the depth chart, contributing veteran experience, refined route-running, and situational playmaking without the pressure of being the primary option. It’s what aging WRs do.
It’s unrealistic to expect Hopkins to revert to his previous elite form. The Vikings would likely view him as a WR3 or WR4 who can provide supplementary support to an already talented offense.
These are Hopkins’s career-long numbers:
2025 — BAL: 22 Rec | 330 Yds | 2 TDs
2024 — KC/TEN: 56 Rec | 610 Yds | 5 TDs
2023 — TEN: 75 Rec | 1,057 Yds | 7 TDs
2022 — ARI: 64 Rec | 717 Yds | 3 TDs
2021 — ARI: 42 Rec | 572 Yds | 8 TDs
2020 — ARI: 115 Rec | 1,407 Yds | 6 TDs
2019 — HOU: 104 Rec | 1,165 Yds | 7 TDs
2018 — HOU: 115 Rec | 1,572 Yds | 11 TDs
2017 — HOU: 96 Rec | 1,378 Yds | 13 TDs
2016 — HOU: 78 Rec | 954 Yds | 4 TDs
2015 — HOU: 111 Rec | 1,521 Yds | 11 TDs
Hopkins’s Words in March
A reporter from TMZ asked Hopkins in March if he’d like to sign with the Vikings and reunite with Murray. He said, “Kyler — that’s my boy, man. Kyler is like family. I talked to Kyler throughout the year last year. I talked to Kyler after, you know, his situation in Arizona. Kyler’s like family, man.”
“I would always, you know, embrace that journey with him. He’s on a one-year deal? Whatever I can do for what someone like that — if Kyler need me he know I’m there, if the Vikings need me they know I’ll be there.”
That was then, and this is now, but the state of play remains. Hopkins is unsigned, and the Vikings did not draft a WR3 replacement in April. So, the Hopkins angle remains.
The Murray Angle
If Hopkins does sign in Minnesota, the front office can thank Murray. He’s the drawing attraction right now, the luring factor that could make the Vikings a fringe Super Bowl contender. Players around the business respect Murray, his skill set, and his possibly untapped ceiling.
There’s also the defense. Brian Flores has created the NFL’s second-best defense on his watch since taking over in 2023. In fact, Hopkins played for the Ravens last year, and on paper, they had the same formula: a proven quarterback, a usually good defense, and playoff aspirations.
The Hopkins-to-Vikings talker will stay afloat until he signs somewhere for the 2026 campaign. Murray’s presence on the depth chart allows it.
Hopkins also stated recently that he wouldn’t mind playing alongside Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.
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