Chargers 90-in-90: K Dustin Hopkins

Dustin Hopkins hails from Austin, Texas and played his prep ball at Clear Lake High School. He went on to commit to Florida State where he was a two-time First-Team All-SEC selection (2011-2012) and a First-Team All-American as a senior in 2012.

At the NFL combine, Hopkins impressed with a notable 4.74 40 time which is stupendous for a kicker.

Hopkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills with 177th pick in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. After one season in Western New York, Hopkins was cut and made his way to the Saints for the 2014 but was later cut just ahead of the 2015 season. Hopkins’ career finally took off with Washington as he spent the next seven season with the franchise. During that span, Hopkins converted on 151-of-180 field goals (83.9 percent) with a long of 56 yards during the 2016 season.

After being cut in October of 2021, the Chargers signed Hopkins who proceeded to crush it in Los Angeles by converting 18-of-20 field goals in 11 games which earned him a three-year contract extension.

In 2022, Hopkins converted on 9-of-10 field goals, including all four in a gutsy performance against Houston where he would collapse after each kick due to a lower-body injury. He would be shut down for the year from week seven forward.

Basic Info

Height: 6’1
Weight: 193
College: Florida State
Experience: 2
Years with team: 2

Contract Status

“Dustin Hopkins signed a 3 year, $9,000,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including a $2,400,000 signing bonus, $4,650,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,000,000. In 2023, Hopkins will earn a base salary of $2,230,000, while carrying a cap hit of $3,086,045 and a dead cap value of $1,600,000.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

Hopkins has been Steady Eddy since he joined the Chargers in October of 2021. He’s hit on 27-of-30 field goals during his time in Los Angeles and that 90 percent clip is as good as you’re going to find around the NFL right now.

The Bad

Hopkins’ recent injury and age will surely hurt his stock with the Chargers coaching staff during a training camp where he’s fighting for the starting job alongside promising youngster Cameron Dicker. If he doesn’t win by a wide margin, the veteran could be the victim of an unfortunate, but understandable, circum

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2023?

The kicking battle between Hopkins and Dicker will be a heated one all throughout training camp. Hopkins is a proven veteran who has done nothing but perform since joining the Chargers but Dicker has also been rock-solid and he’s almost 10 years younger. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chargers go in either direction, but if I had to put money somewhere, I’d say Hopkins misses out as the older, more-expensive option.