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Some teams are shying away from email communication with DeAndre Hopkins

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Mike Florio and Chris Simms spell out what DeAndre Hopkins’ options are for the future, after making comments about the idea of playing with Lamar Jackson “one day” and outlining what he wants in his next team.

As more players who technically represent themselves apparently use burner email accounts that their non-certified agents use to communicate directly with teams while posing as the player, some teams are deciding not to communicate with self-represented players via email.

Per a league source, multiple teams have been shying away from sending emails to and from receiver DeAndre Hopkins, given the possibility that they’ll be communicating not with Hopkins but with a non-certified agent who is pretending to be Hopkins. Instead, those teams insist on talking directly to Hopkins -- and only Hopkins.

That doesn’t stop him from having someone else listen in, but the repeated warnings by the NFL to teams about talking to non-certified agents have resonated, at least with some teams.

The drill is well known. A self-represented (ostensibly) player sets up an email account that he turns over to his non-certified agent, who sends and receives offers, while pretending to be the player.

One team became aware of this practice because it received an email from the player -- while the player was literally on the practice field.

So, yes, every team is aware of the game. More and more of them are refusing to play it.