DeAndre Hopkins Ponders Retirement After NFL Reveals New COVID Vaccine Stance

DeAndre Hopkins' days in the NFL could be coming to a close ... at least that's according to the wide receiver himself, who says the league's new COVID vaccine stance has him pondering retirement.

The NFL announced Thursday it will potentially punish teams with forfeits and loss of game checks if virus outbreaks among unvaccinated players cause unfixable scheduling issues.

Hopkins clearly HATES the idea of that ... and dropped a bombshell on his social media page hours after the league's announcement, saying he might now look into retirement.

"Never thought I would say this," the Arizona Cardinals superstar said in a since-deleted tweet.

"But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the @Nfl."

The league has NOT made COVID vaccines mandatory for its players ... but it's clear, it wants all of its employees to get the shot.

In addition to Thursday's new policy, the league has also placed heavy restrictions on players who have yet to get the vaccine.

Some of those regulations include, among many other things, daily COVID testing, mask requirements and travel restrictions.

According to commissioner Roger Goodell ... about one quarter of the league's players are still not at least partially vaccinated.