Patriots reportedly don’t have much competition for DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins has certainly made a stir in the last week after he was released by Arizona Cardinals and one team have emerged as a favorite to land the receiver. The New England Patriots are high on the list and don't appear to have that much competition for Hopkins, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reports. "Well, […]
DeAndre Hopkins has certainly made a stir in the last week after he was released by Arizona Cardinals and one team have emerged as a favorite to land the receiver.
The New England Patriots are high on the list and don't appear to have that much competition for Hopkins, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reports.
"Well, I think now that the price has dropped and a draft pick won’t be involved, the Patriots are worth considering. Despite perception out there, my sense is that O’Brien would be plenty on board with, not against, signing Hopkins (and Hopkins had his most productive years playing for O’Brien in Houston)."
Hopkins and O'Brien have history of working together while O'Brien served as head coach of the Texans from 2014-2020. The familiarity between the two along with O'Brien's efforts to revamp the Patriots offense seem to show the Hopkins will fit in well with the offensive coordinators plans.
A source told A to Z Sports that New England will be monitoring the wide receiver's free-agent market, with their salary cap fitting in with the contract Hopkins is looking for.
The Patriots currently have $14.1 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com and are projected to have the most salary cap in the NFL heading into the 2024 ($122.7M) and 2025 ($239.9M) seasons.
He is looking for a contract similar to Odell Beckham, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens for $15 million in base pay even though he did not play last season. Although he started the 2022 season suspended due to a violation of the league's performance enhancing drug policy, Hopkins returned in Week 7 and finished the season playing in nine games with 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns.
Because of his high asking price, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs dropped from the top of the list for landing Hopkins.
With that, Breer believes along with the Patriots, the Cleveland Browns might be connected to Hopkins due to his relationship with QB Deshaun Watson. The Ravens could also look to add another top receiver to play alongside Beckham, but that might only be if the price comes down.
So, with the money available and the want to improve the offense by adding new weapons for Mac Jones, the Patriots appear to be at the top of the list for Hopkins.
Featured Image via Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
