The New England Patriots have been rumored to be in the sweepstakes for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins throughout the offseason.
Even though things are quiet now, former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman sees the five-time All-Pro veteran eventually signing with the Patriots.
Hopkins visited both the Tennessee Titans and the Patriots at the beginning of the month. Now, he seems to be in no rush to make a decision. The 31-year-old caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns last season.
New England also created a little extra salary cap space by restructuring the contracts of wide receiver Devante Parker and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley over the course of this week.
Spielman believes New England has the edge in the Hopkins sweepstakes and said as much during his appearance on SirusXM NFL Radio on Thursday afternoon.
“By doing this, it created cap space to try and fit DeAndre Hopkins up in New England, which I think would be a huge need and a huge get for New England, especially with Mac Jones and giving him another offensive weapon,” said Spielman, when talking about the Patriots’ recent extensions. “And again, I don’t think the deal is going to get done until we get closer to training camp.
“They’ll haggle back and forth, but until you get to that 11th hour, when they’re getting ready to report to training camp, I think they’ll finalize the deal and DeAndre Hopkins will end up in New England, in my opinion.”
"DeAndre Hopkins will end up in New England in my opinion."@Spielman_Rick reacted to the contract extension for WR DeVante Parker in New England and how they could sign DeAndre Hopkins.
👇VIDEO👇 | #Patriots | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/g7nBQ70kE1
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 29, 2023
Hopkins would give New England a bona fide top wide receiver, as quarterback Mac Jones enters into a crucial third year. If nothing else, there seems to be a lot of smoke surrounding Hopkins joining the Patriots.
