DeAndre Hopkins says ‘it would be an honor’ to play with Lamar Jackson

Just when you think the wide receiver talk has finally subsided surrounding the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, a new quote from star receiver DeAndre Hopkins has reignited the conversation. When speaking on the I Am Athlete podcast, Hopkins was not shy about complimenting Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“I love Lamar Jackson,” Hopkins said. “Lamar Jackson is one of my favorite athletes since I’ve been watching sports. Obviously, he’s one of the greats, and I would be lying to sit here and say it wouldn’t be an honor one day, if my career allows me to play that long, to play with a great guy and a great quarterback like Lamar.”

Hopkins was heavily connected to Baltimore as a potential trade destination before the events of the draft. It is unclear if the Ravens actually explored trading for the five-time Pro Bowl wideout, as Hopkins only named the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots as teams that he knew had an interest in him. With Beckham, Agholor, and Flowers added to Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay, both coming off injuries, it appears unlikely for Baltimore to add another high-profile and expensive receiver to their offense.

If one thing has been made clear this offseason though, it is that wide receivers do in fact want to play with Jackson. Throughout the course of Jackson's career, there has been a notion that receivers did not want to come to Baltimore and play with Jackson or in previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s run-centric offense. With Roman no longer in the picture and Todd Monken taking his place as offensive coordinator, it appears that landing talented receivers will not be as much of a hurdle going forward for a franchise that has struggled immensely with fielding above-average units at the position.