New England Patriots emerge as likely frontrunner for DeAndre Hopkins ahead of his visit

Let’s spin the DeAndre Hopkins destination wheel and see where he lands. What’s this? The Patriots? They could be the favorites for the wide receiver.

This is all according to The Athletic. The outlet quoted an unnamed source saying that there’s “optimism” that the former Cardinal and the Patriots will find a way to reach a deal. Hopkins has a visit set for New England headquarters today and Thursday in Foxborough.

The Athletic pointed out that DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Patriots isnt a slam dunk. Hopkins comes with hefty salary demands. He was set to make $19.45 million with the Cardinals this season. Before Arizona released him, Hopkins was the third highest-paid receiver in the NFL. Arizona tried to trade Hopkins, but found no takers. It’s why the Cardinals cut him in late May. They couldn’t even designate him as a post June 1 cut, which would’ve taken some of the sting out of the salary cap hit. The Athletic said that the Patriots have $14.2 million in cap space, so there’s room to negotiate.

And The Athletic also pointed out that the Patriots and Hopkins would need to reach an agreement on the receiver’s practice schedule. It’s known he prefers not to practice every day.

Mac Jones and the Patriots' offense looks revitalized so far under Bill O'Brien. And could more help be on the way?

A source tells @jeffphowe that there’s optimism DeAndre Hopkins and New England can reach an agreement on a deal.

More: https://t.co/9yYtzXOwqG pic.twitter.com/HWALQ3sUNv

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 14, 2023

The Patriots may want DeAndre Hopkins more than ever, given that newly-acquired JuJu Smith-Schuster still is having lingering knee issues. Coach Bill Belichick told reporters that Smith-Schuster’s status still is day to day for mini camp. The Patriots signed the receiver from the Chiefs.

Meanwhile, Hopkins visited the Tennessee Titans earlier this week. ESPN’s Dianna Russini tweeted that Hopkins’ meetings with the team “apparently went well but no deal was struck today, per sources. Hopkins is expected to take more visits with teams, that could of course always change.”

DeAndre Hopkins left the Titans facility late this afternoon after spending hours with the players and staff.

The meeting apparently went well but no deal was struck today, per sources.

Hopkins is expected to take more
visits with teams, that could of course always change.

— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) June 12, 2023

So what other teams might DeAndre Hopkins me interested in? There were the rumors linking him to the Bills and Chiefs. Both teams talked to the Cardinals about a trade when Hopkins still was on the Arizona roster.

DeAndre Hopkins by the numbers

• 10 seasons
• 853 catches
• 11,298 yards
• 71 touchdowns
• 5 Pro Bowls

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that early June isn’t the best time to shop for a new team. Breer wrote this week: “I hit up a couple of team execs Sunday to try to get a value on him. One said that if he were a free agent in March, he’d still see Hopkins as an $18 million player on a multiyear deal, but “it’s such a strange time to reach the market; everyone has already spent and allocated.” Another guessed he’d get between $8 million and $10 million on a one-year deal, with some upside built in to make him whole if he could produce at his accustomed level.”

Given all that, the Patriots still probably are the best bet. Belichick brought in Bill O’Brien, the former Houston Texans coach, to coordinate the offense. O’Brien, specifically, is installing the offense he ran at Alabama when Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was there. The new Patriots offense probably will be more up-tempo. All of it could meet with Hopkins’ approval. O’Brien became the Texans’ head coach in 2014, the year after the team selected Hopkins in the first round out of Clemson. Hopkins left Houston the year before O’Brien did.