Will the New England Patriots and free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins agree on a deal?
If word on the street is to be believed, the conclusion of the DeAndre Hopkins saga may be close at hand with the Patriots said to be hopeful of a deal.
Since being cut by the Arizona Cardinals, the prolific wide receiver has visited several NFL teams, however, no agreement was reached with any of them. Now it seems the free agent may be on the verge of beginning a new adventure in New England.
Patriots hopeful of signing DeAndre Hopkins
With the New England Patriots hosting free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on both Wednesday and Thursday, just days after he visited with the Tennessee Titans, reports now indicate that the Patriots are optimistic that they can arrive at an agreement with the former Pro Bowler. To be fair, this makes sense for New England following speculation around the availability of JuJu Smith-Schuster. If you missed it, Smith-Schuster arrived in free agency this past offseason after putting pen to paper on a three-year $25.5 million deal.
Unfortunately, the former Steelers and Chiefs pass-catcher is still recovering from a knee injury that he suffered in the AFC Championship Game. Indeed, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has since stated that the wideout is “day to day” at minicamp. Adding further concern is the fact that Smith-Schuster has a well-documented history of injury which has followed him through his time in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and now New England. Hopkins would understandably be a natural fit in that sense for a team that has a need.
So, is DeAndre Hopkins going to join the Patriots?
To be fair, Hopkins has given no word up to this point as to how much he wants for his services. Where the Patriots are concerned, they’ve got a little more than $14 million in cap space for 2023. If we use Hopkins’ previous salary demands - they were much higher than $14 million - then it’s not clear how either side intends to reach an agreement. On the other hand, Hopkins is not exactly the player he once was i.e., it would be reasonable to believe that his figure could be lower. To be clear, that’s not to say he isn’t still capable of improving the Patriots’ offense but it is something to consider. Either way, watch this space.