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DeAndre Hopkins didn’t come here for this.

The star wide receiver won’t say it himself — he’s kept his head down and does his work with no complaints, according to teammates — but two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson will.

“We have ‘D-Hop’ and guys like that on our team, I don’t think he came over here for us to be in this situation,” said an emotional Jackson after the Ravens’ loss to the Steelers in Week 14. “We are known for winning, but I feel like this is just an adversity game right here.”

Over his 13-year career, Hopkins has collected accolades, stats and paychecks. But the one thing he can’t claim yet is a Super Bowl.

The 33-year-old has chased a championship in recent years, getting close with the Chiefs last season before opting to join the Ravens this year.

Like everyone else, he didn’t expect the Ravens to barely be clinging to playoff hopes at this juncture in the season. He also probably didn’t plan to play such a minor role.

With 18 catches in 14 games, Hopkins is on pace to finish the season with 22 catches. His next lowest total was 42 in 2021 — when he played just 10 games.

He has been targeted just 31 times. In the 2017 season, at the height of his career, it took him less than three games to have that many passes thrown his way.

Hopkins has made sensational catches, and the underlying numbers — and testimonials from teammates — suggest he hasn’t lost that much from his prime.

So The Banner set out to understand how Hopkins’ time with the team has not gone the way anyone would have hoped.

Expectations

Hopkins didn’t walk in expecting to be wide receiver one. In fact, during his introductory press conference, he spoke of the young wide receivers the Ravens already had in Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.

“I’ve definitely been in situations the past couple of years where I’ve only gotten a couple of targets, so for me, it’s really never bothered me, and I embrace it,” Hopkins said. “I love that there’s a draft every year for the organization to draft the guy — that’s part of football — and you have to realize and understand this is a business, and that’s how it goes. So, I love it, and the guys that are out there, they’re going to get open — like they have done the past couple of years — and hopefully I can give them a couple of little tricks to help them advance their game a little more."

While he said he was eager to mentor young receivers, Hopkins also wanted to show he’s not washed up. He was quick to share his speed results from organized team activities on social media to prove that point.

“I’ll always be a competitor and have a ‘Mamba’ mentality until the day I retire,” Hopkins said after the team’s Week 15 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. “And even after that, I probably still will have that mentality. I feel like I’m one of the best players on the field. Statistically, if that’s not the case, that’s always going to be my mindset.”

His teammates have noticed that mentality during the season — and seen a player who hadn’t lost much of his skills.

“Hop is for sure a G.O.A.T. in every category: off the field, on the field and just teaching younger players. So it’s been super exciting,” Flowers said. “He is all about our success. ... He’s happy to see me play every game, so he has been huge to our room.”

He’s made impressive catches, but he’s also excelled in the less flashy aspects of the game, from blocking to route running.

“I will say that if you go back, and you watch the game, you’re going to see him playing his tail off,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s running routes, he’s fighting to get open, he’s blocking, he’s competing, he’s doing everything he can, and that’s what I admire about him and love about him.”

And he still wows teammates in practice. When asked if he felt like the Ravens were getting the Hall of Fame version of Hopkins, fellow receiver Tylan Wallace replied: “100 percent.”

“Obviously, when the ball gets thrown his way, he makes a play on it,” Wallace said. “So being able to see that in person and having him on your team is always a blessing.”

Wallace’s instinct that Hopkins has caught every catchable ball is right. According to Pro Football Focus, he has zero drops. Most of his targets that don’t end in receptions are the result of bad passes or penalties. Tight end Charlie Kolar is the only other regular receiver who hasn’t dropped the ball this season.

As happens with age, Hopkins has lost a step. According to Fantasy Points, his average separation score — a metric for evaluating receivers in situations where a receiver is asked to create separation against a defense — is last among the 255 receivers with at least 100 routes run this season (although PFF ranked him third among 167 players with at least 42 opportunities to separate). But as teammates pointed out, his hands and ability to win a contested catch make his speed and separation less important.

He might not be the 2017 version of Hopkins, but he’s certainly more than serviceable as a receiver on the field and not just a mentor in the room.

PFF has graded Hopkins highly in receiving (82.2) and in overall offense (81.2). He has a 114.4 passer rating when targeted. Out of receivers with 30 targets, that’s the 37th best in the league out of 174 players.

So, where’s the disconnect?

The reality

He’s simply not being targeted. This season, Hopkins is not only on pace for a career low in targets but also his second-lowest season in yards per route run.

He is receiving 8.6% of the team’s target-share, the lowest in his career despite the fact he is leading the team in expected points added per target (0.47). That number ranks 27th in the league among receivers with at least 30 targets.

While he’s not making catches often, when he does, it’s impactful. He’s averaging 9.3 yards per target — the third highest mark of his career and the third-highest of Ravens receivers with 10 catches or more.

With three games to go, Hopkins has 177 snaps where he has run a route — the fifth fewest on the team, coming in above running back Derrick Henry, who had 132.

Harbaugh said some of that has been “the way the game goes a little bit.” He also said Hopkins’ isn’t at a stage in his career where they use him every down, which Hopkins agreed with from the get-go. Instead, they’ve tried to be intentional about how they use him. Even so: “I’d like to be using DeAndre more,” Harbaugh said.

Prior to the season, it wasn’t difficult to envision a scenario in which Hopkins played a bit role: Flowers is ascending, Bateman is coming off a career year, Andrews is the all-time leading receiver and has two strong understudies.

But of those, only Flowers has excelled. Flowers is also earning the most targets — by a lot. With 100 targets this season, Flowers has 40 more than tight end Mark Andrews, who has the second most. He has 65 more than the next-most targeted receiver, Bateman.

Hopkins, meanwhile, has been the first read or the designed target on 11.1% of drop backs, according to Fantasy Points. He’s tied with Bateman for third. Flowers is the first read 33.2% of the time while Andrews is 20.8% of the time.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said there was “nothing in particular” keeping him from working Hopkins into the game plan more.

“Some of it is the ball just doesn’t come [DeAndre Hopkins’] way,“ he said Thursday. ”And some of it is, we haven’t called his number. Some of it last week was because we were running a ton. We didn’t have a ton of plays. All of the above is added into that.”

Additionally, injuries have slowed Jackson, which dimmed the pass game and robbed Hopkins of having a chance to prove himself. Hopkins’ year hasn’t gone as hoped, Wallace said, but nothing has.

Away from the field, Hopkins hasn’t shown his frustration, teammates say. “With how it’s going right now, I probably feel like a lot of people would feel that way, but Hop doesn’t complain,” Flowers said. “Hop just does his job, and Hop comes in and plays, so he’s a real vet, and he takes care of what he has to take care of.”

Wallace hasn’t ruled out Hopkins getting a larger role as the Ravens try to win the AFC North for a third year in a row.

Harbaugh flat out demanded as much.

“Let’s get [Hopkins] involved more,” Harbaugh said ahead of Week 15. “We really need to try to do that. We have been trying to do it; we can do it. It hasn’t fallen for us, but I still believe he’s going to make plays for us that are going to matter.”

Hopkins was only passed the ball once against the Bengals (for an impressive 32 yards). He played just 13 offensive snaps, four more than rookie LaJohntay Wester and 12 fewer than second-year wide receiver Devontez Walker.

But even if his involvement in the game plan didn’t improve, the season outlook did with the team’s 24-0 win. After playing what Harbaugh called their best game yet, the Ravens improved their chances of sneaking into the playoffs.

And that’s what Hopkins is focused on — not statistics, what-ifs, regrets or even the future.

“Coming here this offseason, obviously, there are a lot of guys that deserve the ball on this team,” Hopkins said. “We have a good offense, so I wasn’t — and I’m not — upset that things aren’t statistically where I expected myself to be. But, we’re in a position to play a big game this upcoming week — next weekend. To me, that means more than statistics — going out there playing meaningful football.”

Jackson wants that for Hopkins. But he also wants him to get his targets, too.

“Definitely want to get D-Hop involved,” Jackson said ahead of Week 16. “His catch radius is crazy. I always say this; his catch radius is crazy. Great contested catcher. We just have to get him more opportunities.”