DeAndre Hopkins
1985
Another uncle on his mother’s side, Russell Smith, died before DeAndre was born, at age 12 in 1985. He died in a car driven by his newly-wed uncle when it flipped while Russell was standing up in the open sunroof. His uncle and other passengers in the car survived.
June 06, 1992
DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Hopkins is a five-time Pro Bowler and has also been named to five All-Pro teams. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals..mw-parser-output .toclimit-2 .toclevel-1 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-3 .toclevel-2 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-4 .toclevel-3 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-5 .toclevel-4 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-6 .toclevel-5 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-7 .toclevel-6 ul{display:none}
November 1992
Hopkins' father, Harris Steve Hopkins, died in a car accident on I-85 when DeAndre was five months old, leaving his mother to raise him and his three siblings. The November 1992 car accident happened when DeAndre's parents were returning from visiting family in Atlanta. The elder Hopkins' Ford Mustang GTS hydroplaned on the rain-soaked road after making a turn and flipped three times before striking a guardrail on the driver's side. While DeAndre's mother escaped with minor injuries and a concussion, the elder Hopkins succumbed to his injuries eight days later. At the time of his death, Harris Hopkins was 25 years old.
1997
Hopkins' uncle on his mother's side, Terry Smith, played wide receiver at Clemson and went undrafted before having a brief professional career with the Indianapolis Colts on their practice squad from 1995–1996. His time in the NFL was marred by knee injuries that ended his career. In 1997, Smith was shot and killed by Atlanta police after forcing his way into his estranged wife's home and stabbing her. Police opened fire after Smith defied multiple orders. Close friends and former teammates said Smith was nonviolent but that his behavior had changed in the months leading up to his death. Smith played for Clemson from 1990-1993 and finished his collegiate career as the all-time leader in catches (162) and receiving yards (2,681). He was named the Tigers' MVP for the 1993 season and was known for his game-winning touchdown in the 1993 Peach Bowl, defeating Kentucky with seconds left.
2001
The Houston Texans selected Hopkins in the first round with the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was the second wide receiver selected, behind Tavon Austin (St. Louis Rams, eighth overall). Hopkins was the second wide receiver in franchise history to be drafted in the first round, the first being Andre Johnson who was selected third overall in 2003. It was also just the second time in 10 years that the Texans selected an offensive player (the other selection was left tackle Duane Brown) in the first round. He became the highest wide receiver out of Clemson since Rod Gardner went 15th overall in 2001. On July 24, 2013, Hopkins signed a four-year, $7.62 million contract with the team. The first three years of the contract were fully guaranteed.
July 2002
In July 2002, Greenlee had a boiling concoction of lye and bleach thrown on her by Savannah Grant, age 24. Greenlee had caught her boyfriend having an affair with Grant. The attack resulted in the skin rapidly peeling off her neck, face, and back. Her boyfriend picked her up, placed her in his vehicle, and dropped her off at a nearby gas station. The gas station attendant called 911, and Greenlee was rushed to a hospital and later flown to Augusta, Georgia, where she was placed in a medically induced coma for three weeks and had skin grafts applied to her face. Greenlee suffered burns over 17 percent of her body. Her attacker was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill and received a 20-year sentence. She was incarcerated from 2003 until March 13, 2023. Hopkins' mother was left completely blind as a result of this attack.
2011
Clemson took a major step forward in Hopkins's sophomore year, finishing with a 10–4 mark. Hopkins started the 2011 season with nine receptions for 108 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in two games combined against Troy and Wofford. Against Auburn on September 17, Hopkins had seven receptions for 83 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 38–24 victory. On October 22, against North Carolina, he had nine receptions for 157 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 59–38 victory. Nearly a month later, against NC State, he had five receptions for 124 receiving yards in the 37–13 loss. In the ACC Championship against Virginia Tech, he had seven receptions for 92 receiving yards in the 38–10 victory. In the 2012 Orange Bowl, he had 10 receptions for 107 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the historic 70–33 loss to West Virginia. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 72 receptions for 978 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He finished second on the team in the major receiving categories to Sammy Watkins.
2012
Hopkins is a Christian. He grew up going to church with his mother and was baptized one day after practice at Clemson in 2012. Hopkins has said, “My faith is a big, big thing for me. It is a major part of my life.”
2012
In his junior year, Hopkins helped lead the Tigers to their first 11-win season since 1981. Hopkins started the 2012 season off strong with 13 receptions for 119 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a 26–19 win over Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. With Clemson trailing in the fourth quarter, Hopkins had the go-ahead score. One week later, against Ball State, he had six receptions for 105 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in a 52–27 victory. Hopkins three touchdowns all came in the second quarter, setting a new school record for touchdowns in a quarter. Dating back to the prior season, this gave Hopkins three consecutive games with 100 receiving yards, tying a school record. On September 29, against Boston College, had had 11 receptions for 197 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 45–31 victory. In the following game, he had seven receptions for 173 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against Georgia Tech in a 47–31 victory. On November 3, in a game at Duke, he had four receptions for 128 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in the 56–20 victory. Like his previous three-touchdown game against Ball State, Hopkins recorded all three touchdowns in one quarter, with this performance being the first quarter. He closed out the regular season with one receiving touchdown in each of the last three games against Maryland, North Carolina State, and South Carolina. In the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU, he had 13 receptions for 191 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 25–24 victory. Hopkins's touchdown came with under three minutes remaining to put Clemson down 2. Clemson eventually won the game on 37-yard field goal from Chandler Catanzaro. In his junior season in 2012, Hopkins had one of the best receiving seasons in ACC history, with a conference-best 1,405 yards on 82 catches and a school-record 18 touchdowns earning First-team All-Conference honors. Hopkins, along with junior quarterback Tajh Boyd and wide receiver Sammy Watkins, combined to make one of the most prolific passing offenses in college football and broke many individual and career school records. He scored a touchdown in each of the last ten games of the season, doubling the previous school record for consecutive games with a score. Hopkins left Clemson with career record for receiving yards (3,020) and career touchdown receptions (27). His 206 career receptions were the most by a Clemson receiver since Aaron Kelly had 232 from 2005–2008. On January 10, 2013, Hopkins decided to forgo his senior season at Clemson and enter the NFL Draft.
2013
Hopkins had 78 receptions for 954 yards and four touchdowns in the 2016 season, all his lowest totals since his rookie season in 2013.
March 07, 2013
On March 7, 2013, he participated in Clemson's pro day. Hopkins attended private workouts or visits with the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, and had two with the St. Louis Rams.
December 02, 2013
Hopkins made his NFL debut in the season opener against the San Diego Chargers and made five receptions for 55 yards in the 31–28 victory, a game where the Texans at one point trailed 28–7. His first NFL reception came on a pass from Matt Schaub for no gain in the second quarter. On September 15, Hopkins caught a season-high seven passes for 117 receiving yards and scored his first career touchdown reception on a three-yard pass from quarterback Matt Schaub in the Texans' 30–24 overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans. It was Hopkins's first game with over one hundred receiving yards. Hopkins was named the NFL Rookie of the Month for September. In Week 7, he caught three passes for 76 yards and scored a touchdown on a 29-yard pass from Case Keenum during a 16–17 loss to Kansas City Chiefs. On December 2, 2013, Head coach Gary Kubiak was fired after the Houston Texans posted a 2–11 record. Hopkins finished the 2013 season with 52 receptions for 802 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His rookie season was marred by inconsistent quarterback play by Matt Schaub that led to Schaub's benching after nine interceptions in five games. Hopkins was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team for the 2013 season.
2014
Hopkins also has three siblings, two sisters and one brother. His two older siblings, Kesha and Marcus, are from a previous relationship his mother had. His older sister, Kesha Smith, is a Southern Wesleyan University graduate. In 2014, she moved to Houston where she is a basketball trainer and a slot receiver for the Houston Energy of the Independent Women's Football League. His younger sister, Shanterria Cobb, signed a letter of intent in the spring of 2016 to play basketball at Texas Southern University. She was a three-time all-region selection in basketball at D.W. Daniel High School. His older brother, Marcus Greenlee, was a standout football and basketball player in high school and briefly attended Georgia Military College.
2014
Hopkins started in the season-opening 17–6 victory over the Washington Redskins and caught four passes for 89 yards and scored a new career-long 76-yard touchdown on a pass by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. In Week 3, he had six receptions for 116 yards during a 30–14 victory over the New York Giants. In the game, Hopkins had a spectacular one-handed 53-yard catch that was negated by a illegal formation penalty. During a Week 7 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hopkins made six receptions for 108 receiving yards in a 23–30 loss. On November 30, 2014, Hopkins caught a season-high nine passes for a season-high 238 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Texans routed the Tennessee Titans 45–21 in Week 13. Hopkins was the Texans' leading receiver in 2014, recording 76 receptions for 1,210 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games and 16 starts.
2015
On November 19, Hopkins became the youngest player to reach 700 catches, a record that was held by his teammate, Larry Fitzgerald, during the 28–21 loss to Seattle. In Week 14 against the New York Giants, Hopkins recorded nine receptions for 136 yards during the 26–7 victory. In Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Hopkins recorded nine catches for 169 yards and a touchdown during the 33–26 win. In Week 17, against the Los Angeles Rams, Hopkins went over 10,000 receiving yards for his career. He became the youngest player in NFL history to eclipse the mark. Overall, Hopkins finished the season with 115 receptions for 1,407 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. His 115 receptions set a new franchise mark for a single season, breaking Larry Fitzgerald's marks in 2015 and 2017. He was ranked 8th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021. He was named to his fifth Pro Bowl.
July 30, 2016
On July 30, 2016, Hopkins did not report to training camp after he announced he was holding out for a new contract.
September 15, 2016
On September 15, 2016, Hopkins was fined $6,076 for an equipment violation regarding improper cleats on his shoes. The cleats were revealed to be Yeezy 350 Boosts cleats designed by Kanye West. In the 2016 season, Hopkins suffered through some small regression as the quarterback play of Brock Osweiler lacked positive consistency. The Texans finished atop the AFC South with a 9–7 record. In the Wild Card Round, against the Oakland Raiders, Hopkins had five receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown in the 27–14 victory. The Texans went on to lose in the Divisional Round of the 2016–17 NFL playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Hopkins had six receptions for 65 yards in the 34–16 loss.
August 31, 2017
On August 31, 2017, the Houston Texans signed Hopkins to a five-year, $81 million contract extension with $49 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $7.5 million.
December 19, 2017
During the season-opening 29–7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hopkins caught the first NFL touchdown pass of quarterback and fellow Clemson Tiger Deshaun Watson's career. He finished with seven receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. During Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, Hopkins posted an impressive performance with eight receptions for 224 receiving yards, which was highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown. However, his performance was overshadowed as the Texans lost on the road by a score of 38–41. On December 19, 2017, Hopkins was named to his second Pro Bowl. Hopkins did not play in Week 17 due to a calf injury.
March 2020
In March 2020, Hopkins partnered with Beyond Meat. The partnership started the Feed A Million+ pledge with the intent to donate and distribute more than one million Beyond Burgers across the United States to needy people.
March 16, 2020
On March 16, 2020, the Texans traded Hopkins and a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick. Reception to the trade was highly critical of the Texans, as well as the head coach at the time, Bill O’Brien, with many sportswriters calling it one of the worst of all time from their perspective, while simultaneously praising the Cardinals for "robbing" the Texans.
September 08, 2020
On September 8, 2020, Hopkins signed a two-year, $54.5 million contract extension with the Cardinals.
September 13, 2020
On September 13, 2020, Hopkins made his debut as a Cardinal against the San Francisco 49ers, recording a career-high 14 receptions for 151 yards in the 24–20 win. In Week 2 against the Washington Football Team, Hopkins caught eight passes for 68 yards and his first receiving touchdown as a Cardinal during the 30–15 win. In Week 3, he recorded ten receptions for 137 receiving yards in the 26–23 loss to the Detroit Lions. In Week 5 against the New York Jets, Hopkins recorded six catches for 131 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown reception, during the 30–10 win. In Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Hopkins recorded 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown during the 37–34 overtime win. In Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, Hopkins recorded seven receptions for 127 yards and the game winning touchdown on a 43-yard Hail Mary pass thrown by Kyler Murray with one second left in the 32–30 win which would later be referred to as Hail Murray. Hopkins leaped over three defenders to catch the touchdown. Hopkins was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
2021
During his time at Clemson, Hopkins majored in community recreation and sport & camp management. He also holds a SMOOOTH Back-to-school giveaway that supplies book bags and school supplies for over 2,500 children. SMOOOTH is an acronym that stands for Speaking Mentally Outwardly Opening Opportunities Towards Healing. In 2021, Hopkins went into the cereal business with "DeAndre's Hop Box". A portion of the proceeds of the cereal's sales went to the SMOOOTH Foundation.
2021
In 2021, Hopkins displayed the name of Denmark Vesey on his helmet as a tribute to the alleged mastermind of a thwarted 1822 South Carolina slave revolt. Hopkins chose Vesey due to their South Carolina heritage, to honor Vesey's sacrifice for equality, and to draw attention to a history that is not commonly taught.
May 02, 2022
On May 2, 2022, the NFL announced that Hopkins would be suspended for the first six games of the season for a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. Hopkins returned in Week 7 and had ten receptions for 103 yards in the 42–34 victory over the New Orleans Saints. In Week 8, he had 12 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown in the 34–26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Hopkins appeared in nine games in the 2022 season. He finished with 64 receptions for 717 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
May 26, 2023
On May 26, 2023, Hopkins was released by the Cardinals.
