Getty DeAndre Hopkins could still join the Patriots.
Free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins talked up his game following reports of his upcoming visit with the New England Patriots.
While not in direct relation to New England specifically, Hopkins wanted everyone to know that he can still play at a high level. Hopkins, 31, hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2020, and he hasn’t reached 100 receptions or 1,000 yards since that year.
“Shhhh. I’m old and can’t get open,” Hopkins wrote in a retweet of points made by fantasy football expert Sal Vetri.
Last season Hopkins “ranked second at beating man coverage”, and he “earned 10.7 targets per game”, Vetri wrote. He also “was eighth best at earning targets per route run”, Vetri added.
“This shows he had no drop off in his ability to get open,” Vetri concluded.
The Arizona Cardinals released Hopkins last week amid his two-year, $54.5 million contract. Hopkins first has a free agent visit with the Tennessee Titans this weekend, but he will visit the Patriots next week according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
New England could use a big playmaker in Hopkins after a disappointing offensive performance in 2022. The Patriots averaged 21.4 points per game with quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe splitting time.
Top target Jakobi Meyers left the Patriots after the season for the Las Vegas Raiders. JuJu Smith-Schuster signed with the Patriots, but the receiver talent drops after the one-time Pro Bowler.
Hopkins still produced Pro Bowl-caliber play on the field in the past two seasons. He caught 106 passes for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns in 19 games over the last two years.
DeAndre Hopkins’ Asking Price in Question
Whether or not the Patriots can afford Hopkins remains the biggest question. Hopkins wants to make similar money to Odell Beckham Jr. according to a pair of anonymous NFL executives via The Athletic’s Tim Graham.
KYLER MURRAY HAIL MARY TO DEANDRE HOPKINS🚀
Beckham landed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Hopkins projects at $23.2 million annually, based on Spotrac’s numbers. However, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted that Hopkins likely won’t even find a deal that equals Beckham’s.
New England at least won’t need to worry about any past history between Hopkins and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien as an obstacle. O’Brien coached Hopkins with the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2019 before a trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona.
O’Brien “would be pretty on board” with Hopkins coming to New England, according to Breer. While Hopkins hasn’t commented recently on the 2020 trade, Hopkins at least teased interest in the Patriots multiple times since O’Brien’s return.
Patriots-DeAndre Hopkins Interest Simmering
Hopkins acknowledged the persistent Patriots trade rumors during the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast recently. He also shared an Instagram video that showed Patriots highlights before he took it down.
Then, he played around with Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon‘s comments on another Instagram video. Judon pointed about the Patriots logo “in the background” on the video, and Hopkins reacted with laughing emojis.
While Judon played around with Hopkins’ interest on social media, Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne took a more conservative approach on Friday. Bourne fielded a question about Hopkins’ visit after organized team activities.
“I’m a fan of D-Hop. It would be cool,” Bourne told reporters via Patriots.com. “I don’t know the gist of what’s going on, but he is a great player. Anything that would help us win, I’m with.”