The New England Patriots will soon have an open spot on their 90-man roster, and there's a talented wide receiver hanging out there in free agency waiting to be scooped up.

The Patriots will likely place safety Devin McCourty on the reserve/retired list after June 1 to save cap space for the 2023 season. And the Arizona Cardinals officially released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Tuesday. The Patriots have shown interest in adding more receiving help for QB Mac Jones, and Hopkins posted an Instagram story over the weekend of him watching an NFL Films special on New England's Super Bowl LI win.

All of that has opened up speculation that the Patriots could potentially pay up to get Hopkins on their roster.

ESPN's Adam Schefter further fueled the fire on his podcast this week.

“New England could be interesting, New England has a need there," Schefter said. "But what I keep coming back to is that, in Houston, the man that traded DeAndre Hopkins was the then-Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. I don’t think those two individuals particularly cared for one another. So now it’s okay?

“It may be the one that makes the most financial sense, and if it is, then of course everybody can make it work. But I just don’t think we start out thinking that New England is going to be a top option, though in the end it could end up being the place that he lands.”

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about it Wednesday before OTAs.

"I'm not going to comment on players that aren't on this team," Belichick said.

OK then. 

Belichick had a similar response earlier this year when asked about Odell Beckham Jr.’s availability. Beckham wound up signing a one-year, $15 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Hopkins might not command that much prior to incentives. New England is in good financial shape to sign Hopkins if they’re willing to use future cap space for the transaction. If Hopkins wants a guaranteed chance to win, and if he doesn't want to work again with his former head coach and current Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, then New England will likely be passed over. But they can certainly offer money if they think Hopkins is worth it.

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