With Bill O’Brien in the fold as New England Patriots offensive coordinator, that has raised concerns as to whether wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would be able to work with him in New England.
O’Brien was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014-2020. Hopkins and O’Brien did not have a strong relationship when the two were there. O’Brien traded Hopkins to Arizona in March 2020, in exchange for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick.
The deal was widely panned at the time of the move, and it was a fresh start for Hopkins, who said he had “no relationship” with the coach.
With all of this in mind, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler got reaction from around the league on this hypothetical scenario before New England hired O’Brien. Hope may not be lost after all, as Fowler believes Hopkins and O’Brien could still work together.
“That would be interesting to pair Bill O’Brien with Hopkins if O’Brien ends up with the Patriots OC job,” an NFL executive told Fowler. “They might not be friendly. But they had success together with subpar quarterback play, so maybe it can work.”
The Patriots need a stronger offense in 2023 with quarterback Mac Jones entering his third season. One way to do that would be pulling off a trade to bring an elite talent like Hopkins to New England, assuming the past doesn’t come back to haunt them.
