The Patriots remain interested in DeAndre Hopkins. Can they get their man?

Having met with a number of teams, the question of where the recently released Cardinals wideout will play next is still unanswered. With that said, it’s now clear that the Patriots would like a deal to be done.

Patriots still want DeAndre Hopkins

You may have seen that the New England Patriots recently addressed their need for a wide receiver, with the acquisition of DeVante Parker. The 30-year-old has put pen to paper on a new three-year contract worth up to $33 million, according to reports. The deal also includes $14 million in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses, which is interesting when one considers that Parker was entering the final year of his deal, which would see him receive $5.7 million in base salary. It’s understood Parker’s motivation was based on a desire to see the Super Bowl returned to New England.

This of course brings us to DeAndre Hopkins, the free-agent wide receiver who the Patriots recently stated they were hopeful of signing. Indeed, Hopkins has been on a veritable tour of teams of the league since his release by the Cardinals and is yet to agree to any deal. So much so that he even recently took to Twitter to promote his skill set, claiming that he would make the life of any future teammate “easy.” At any rate, Hopkins remains without a team, and the Patriots, though they’ve signed Parker, appear to still be in the market for a pass catcher.

So, where are the New England Patriots at?

Coming into Wednesday, the Patriots had $14.95 million in cap space (10th in the league in remaining cap space). As for Hopkins, what we know is that he has visited with several NFL teams, however, reports suggested that the Patriots, in particular, were keen on seeing a deal done. So much so in fact, that reports suggest that the new contract of the aforementioned Parker did nothing to decrease the interest that New England has in Hopkins. For his part, Parker caught 31 passes for 539 yards and three touchdowns across 13 games for the Patriots. Indeed, he was New England’s second-most productive pass catcher on the season, but it’s worth mentioning that his 17.4 yards per reception led all others on the team during the last campaign.

Where Hopkins is concerned, the five-time All-Pro wideout needs no introduction, as he’s widely considered one of the best receivers that the league has seen in recent years. That being said, it would be fair to say that Hopkins’ last few seasons haven’t been the best. While the general consensus is that he’s not the player he once was, it would be a mistake to sleep on him. At this point, we can only sit, wait and watch, as the Patriots look to re-enforce their receiver corps. Keep an eye on this situation.