The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly looking to trade All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins, and the New England Patriots are hoping to be in the market for an elite receiver.
There’s a good chance of both sides getting what they want this offseason, according to oddsmakers.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Patriots are one of the betting favorites to land the five-time Pro Bowler. They only trail the Green Bay Packers with +450 odds to come away with the blockbuster deal that would bring in the best receiver the organization has had since Randy Moss.
There’s plenty of smoke here to suggest there could be a fire burning with these odds.
Tom Brady has been added to the "Player Next Team" market on @DKSportsbook.
You can also find odds on Derek Carr and DeAndre Hopkins: pic.twitter.com/pR2LTRDpyj
— Julian Edlow (@julianedlow) January 17, 2023
The Patriots are coming off one of their most embarrassing offensive seasons in recent memory, and they’ll be looking to shake things up. Of course, the first order of business is hiring a legitimate offensive coordinator, and then it should be off to the races in fortifying the offensive line and securing that one elite receiving weapon that scares the bejesus out of opposing defenses.
There’s also a clear mutual respect between Hopkins and coach Bill Belichick. Speculation was running rampant of the two sides eventually joining forces the moment this video hit social media.
"I'm glad we only have to play you every four years."
The respect Bill Belichick has for @DeAndreHopkins 🙌#HardKnocks @AZCardinals — tonight 10pm ET on @HBOMax pic.twitter.com/ocdqJYsmXb
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2022
The Cardinals also just hired former Patriots executive Monti Ossenfort as their new general manager. So the guy that would be in charge of making the decision on what to do with Hopkins already has a close working relationship with Belichick and the Patriots.
Not to mention the fact that shipping the elite wideout to an AFC team sounds much better than keeping him in the NFC with a team like the Packers.
In a division full of high-powered offenses, it’s time for Belichick to reconsider his approach to roster building. Sure, his defenses can slow a divisional rival like Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills down, but they can’t stop them.
And they certainly can’t score with them.
Hopkins could serve as the great equalizer for the Patriots in their bid to go from pretender to contender in a rapidly improving AFC East division.
