How much cap space Patriots have to spend on DeAndre Hopkins
Free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is in the midst of a visit with the New England Patriots, so it’s important to know just how much salary-cap space Bill Belichick has to throw around in negotiations. The Patriots rank 15th in the NFL with $14,025,985, per a tweet from ESPN’s Field Yates. New England still has […]
Free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is in the midst of a visit with the New England Patriots, so it’s important to know just how much salary-cap space Bill Belichick has to throw around in negotiations.
The Patriots rank 15th in the NFL with $14,025,985, per a tweet from ESPN’s Field Yates. New England still has two draft picks to sign to their rookie contracts: first-rounder Christian Gonzalez and defensive end Keion White. That will lower New England's cap space.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently projected that Hopkins will sign a deal in the $8-to-$10 million range. The Patriots’ highest-paid wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster, makes an average of $8.5 million per year. Their top pass-catcher, tight end Hunter Henry, is on a contract worth $12.5 million per year.
The Patriots could get creative with a deal for Hopkins, signing him to a contract with void years attached to bring down his APY. They also could sign him to a multi-year contract with option dummy years attached like they did with cornerback Darrelle Revis in 2014. Revis’ deal was two years, $32 million when in actuality it was a one-year, $14 million contract. The Patriots could inflate Hopkins’ APY with a similar structure.
The Patriots’ salary-cap space goes way up in 2024 and 2025, so it makes sense to count Hopkins against the cap in future years even if it’s effectively a one-year contract.
Featured image via Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
