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DeAndre Hopkins joins Georgia Tech staff as assistant WR coach | Latest NFL News, Analysis & Updates | NFL.com

DeAndre Hopkins has joined Georgia Tech's staff as an assistant wide receivers coach, though he has not officially retired and could potentially return to the NFL if needed.

First seen Aug 01, 2026 · 6:00 AM UTC · last updated Aug 01 4:30 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

DeAndre Hopkins taking an assistant wide receivers coaching job at Georgia Tech is about as clear a signal as you'll get without an official retirement announcement. Two independent reports frame this consistently, and both carry solid confidence (80%), so you should treat this as a real, meaningful shift in his career trajectory rather than a rumor to shrug off. He has not formally retired, and the door to an NFL return is technically open, but taking a coaching role on a college staff is not something a player does while actively training for an NFL season. This is a strong signal his 2025 season, and likely his career, is winding down or paused indefinitely.

For draft purposes, this pushes Hopkins to the very bottom of your board, if he belongs on it at all. Do not draft him with any real-round capital, and if he's still sitting on a dynasty roster, this is the moment to move on or, at minimum, stop pricing him as anything more than a lottery-ticket stash. Any dynasty value left is speculative "he could un-retire" upside only, not something to build a receiving corps around.

Practically speaking, treat Hopkins as off your draft board entirely for redraft leagues. In dynasty formats, only keep him rostered if your bench is deep and you have nothing better to do with the spot — the return-to-NFL scenario is possible per the reporting, but nothing here suggests it's imminent or likely. Confidence in this read is high given the two matching, credible reports, though the ultimate outcome (retirement vs. return) remains unresolved.

DeAndre Hopkins joins Georgia Tech staff as assistant WR coach

"GMFB" on what do you make of free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins working with the New England Patriots coaching staff.

DeAndre Hopkins apparently took a liking to the coaching profession after spending time with Mike Vrabel's staff at the New England Patriots' training camp.

Georgia Tech has hired Hopkins as its assistant wide receivers coach, the school announced Friday.

“DeAndre is one of the greatest receivers of all-time, but his value to our program goes far beyond the that,” head coach Brent Key said, per the school's athletics website. “He has an exceptional knowledge of what we’re doing on offense due his long relationship with (offensive coordinator) George Godsey and strong familiarity with the ACC, but most importantly, he’s a leader of men that I’m very excited for our players to be around, on and off the field.”

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Hopkins has played 13 NFL seasons, with five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro campaigns. Though he first rose to the top of his craft during his opening seven years in the league as a Houston Texan, Hopkins also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens, for whom he contributed 330 yards and two touchdowns on 22 catches in 2025.

The stellar wideout's career numbers stand at 13,295 yards and 85 touchdowns on 1,006 receptions.

The possibility that Hopkins, 34, might not suit up again became more of a possibility once he visited some of New England's practices to evaluate coaching rather than playing last week.

By officially joining Georgia Tech's coaching staff, his foot is further still out the door.

However, Hopkins has not announced a retirement.

I Haven’t retired from the @NFL … But if you're a WR and you want to be great, come to @GeorgiaTechFB

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) August 1, 2026

He'll presumably have years and years to coach. Should an NFL team require a veteran wide receiver weeks into camp, either due to injury or following more evaluation of the position, Hopkins, with a small window left to contribute in cleats, could surely still fill in somewhere as a player.

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Bobby Kownack · Aug 01, 2026 · read original