The New England Patriots have to be feeling pretty good about their chances of signing five-time All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
No, it isn’t a sure thing, but the Patriots stand as strong suitors from both a financial and competitive standpoint. Hopkins could strategically drag his feet all the way up to training camp to see if another team is desperate enough to raise the stakes on the offers already on the table.
So there’s clearly some risk there for the Patriots.
But when looking at the visit alone, New England reportedly made a strong impression on the veteran receiver. Perhaps it was good enough for him to eventually join them in the summer.
“The Patriots feel they’re in a pretty good spot,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said when appearing on SportsCenter, via NESN’s Adam London. “They had a really productive visit with Hopkins on Thursday. He showed up early in the morning and was there late into the afternoon, spent part of the night in New England. Spent significant time in the building with Bill Belichick.
“I’m told there’s significant mutual respect between Hopkins, the player, and the Hall of Fame coach in Belichick. They’re hopeful, certainly. The interest is high and Hopkins gave the impression that he’s certainly intrigued, interested in playing with New England, but he also visited with the Titans. He’s not in a major rush to sign anywhere. He could wait closer to training camp if need be depending on the right deal.”
The Tennessee Titans are expected to be one of the teams pursuing Hopkins as well. He visited with them last week before making the trip to Foxboro to meet with the Patriots.
Just like New England, Tennessee has a big hole to fill at receiver, but the Patriots also have nearly double their cap space. If Hopkins is considering taking a pay cut, he’d be better off looking at the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills as possible destinations to have a shot at winning a Super Bowl.
The Patriots should have a much-improved offense with Bill O’Brien taking over as offensive coordinator, and their defense is a potential juggernaut on the rise. Combine both of those things with the deep respect Hopkins has for coach Bill Belichick, and it could signal an eventual deal between the two sides.
