Athletes are creatures of habit, and some habits are very hard to break. DeAndre Hopkins might not able to resist playing for a team with a questionable quarterback situation and limited ceiling. After all, it is all the 31-year-old knows in his 10 years of football. If the star wide receiver can't resist, the Tennessee Titans are happy to oblige.

Since being released by the Arizona Cardinals in May, Hopkins is making his first free agent visit to Nashville this week. But the Titans just feel like an illogical fit. He wants to win, or at least that's what he said, and the Titans do not give Hopkins the best chance of finding team success. They are well-coached, more balanced than fans often think and reside in the generally weak AFC South.

And they are still far away from reasonably contending for a Super Bowl.

There are many factors that will determine DeAndre Hopkins' landing spot ahead of the 2023-24 NFL season, but I simply do not see the Titans as a practical match under any circumstances.

Why the Titans make no sense for DeAndre Hopkins

Tennessee would objectively be the best organization Hopkins has played for after mixed tenures with both the Cardinals and Houston Texans. Is that the bar we should strive for, though? Hopkins has little time to waste if he is indeed serious about contending for a championship. Reuniting with head coach Mike Vrabel, who was on the Texans' coaching staff from 2014-18, may feel practical to Hopkins. But it would be taking the safe route instead of the winning route.

This team is precariously walking the line between being competitive and diving fully into a transition/rebuild period. When Hopkins meets with the team, he may realize that such uncertainty is no longer something he is just willing to overcome.

The Titans have $8 million in cap space, which gives them more financial flexibility to work with than many other potential suitors, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. That, coupled with the Vrabel factor, constitutes their pitch to Hopkins. However, the winning component is an iffy sell.

Derrick Henry had another monster year stat-wise, but there were stretches in the season where he showed the wear-and-tear that comes with carrying an offense for several years. He has defied what a 29-year-old running back is supposed to do, but how much longer does he realistically have before Father Time finally catches him? It already has a hold of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who had his worst season with the Titans last year.

Yes, Hopkins will ignite what was arguably the most barren receiving group in the NFL and enable Tannehill to take more control in the passing game, but his best is still probably not enough to best Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert or divisional foe Trevor Lawrence. And even if man-in-waiting Will Levis seizes the job during his rookie campaign, his trajectory does not align with that of Hopkins.

DeAndre Hopkins can settle for the Titans, or he can seek the criteria he has outlined multiple times. They check a couple of boxes, but there are questions, and possibly deficiencies, at the most crucial areas. Tennessee is doing all it can to stay relevant in the AFC. Adding the five-time All-Pro can accomplish that, but probably not much more.

Two years ago, this would be an exciting and dangerous pairing. Now, it would be an underwhelming way for a future Hall of Famer to spend the twilight years of his career.

I have no skin in the game, though. Hopkins will do what his best for him and his family. I am merely listening to what the man has said himself.

But again, old habits die hard.