The New England Patriots are interested in Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Or maybe they’re not. It depends on who you listen to.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, for one, doesn’t buy it.

“I can’t find anyone in that building who thinks DeAndre Hopkins will be a consideration for Bill Belichick, and at this point New England hasn’t been in it,” Breer wrote in his mailbag this week. “The Denver receivers, to me, would be more likely, but the prices on those guys are high right now. If the cost comes down, I certainly could see the Patriots taking a swing on Jerry Jeudy, who played for Belichick’s old buddy and with the coach’s current quarterback at Alabama.”

Former NFL cornerback Adam Jones, however, said on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday that the Patriots were one of five teams, along with the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders, to have interest.

Asked about the possibility of New England acquiring Hopkins via trade, a source said, "doubtful."

So, maybe there's a chance, but it currently seems slim.

Hopkins is due a base salary of $19.45 million in 2023, and the Patriots have just $11.3 million in salary cap space, according to a recent tweet from ESPN’s Field Yates.

As free agency slows down a bit, here's a look at how much each NFL team still has in cap space (including all moves that are official)

??? 8 teams with $20M+
?? 11 teams with $10M-$20M
? 12 teams with under $10M

The Bears still lead the way by a wide margin. pic.twitter.com/QYNzWOGSMc

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 23, 2023

So, Hopkins’ contract would have to be reworked to fit under the salary cap. New England already has added wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki this offseason. Smith-Schuster joins Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton on the Patriots' depth chart, while Gesicki will team up with fellow tight end Hunter Henry.

There is definitely still room for a player as talented as Hopkins, however.

The Patriots have also added running back James Robinson, offensive tackles Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff, linebacker Chris Board and punter Corliss Waitman this offseason. The Cardinals have asked for a second-round pick and another asset for Hopkins, according to Breer. Arizona is unlikely to net that in a trade, however, per Breer.

Featured image via Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK