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If the New England Patriots don’t land star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, another AFC East team might do it instead.
New York Jets cornerback D’Roy “Sauce” Gardner teased his recent visit with Hopkins in Dallas amid the Jets’ interest in Hopkins. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Jets “conditionally” could make a run at the Arizona Cardinals star because the Jets missed on former free agent target and Baltimore Ravens-bound wideout Odell Beckham Jr.
“Me & Dhop had a great talk when I was in Dallas last week,” Gardner tweeted on Tuesday, April 12.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shot down the rumor of Hopkins heading to the Jets via a trade during “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, April 13. The Jets still need to complete a trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Hopkins, a subject of trade rumors since 2022, has a two-year, $54.5 million deal with the Cardinals. He will make $30.75 million in 2023 followed by $26.2 million in 2024. His projected market value could stay high in 2025, and Spotrac projects him at $23.2 million annually.
New England doesn’t normally spend big dollars on wide receivers under head coach and general manager Bill Belichick. The Patriots notably “had an early conversation with the Cardinals” according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, but the Patriots “don’t plan to pursue him unless there’s a substantial change in philosophy” for a trade.
Hopkins has one notable connection to New England in Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, but that doesn’t increase the odds of it happening. Hopkins played for O’Brien with the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2019 before O’Brien traded him to Arizona. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that O’Brien “is an impediment” to Hopkins joining the Patriots.
Hopkins joining the Patriots had steam in March when Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. recruited the five-time Pro Bowler on social media. Hopkins notably started following Patriots quarterback Mac Jones on Instagram in March according to NBC Sports Boston.
Patriots Need a Playmaker Like Hopkins
The Patriots could use a dynamic playmaker such as Hopkins, who has six seasons with 1,000 receiving yards or more. He posted 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in just nine games for the Cardinals in 2022.
New England lost key receivers in Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor in free agency this offseason. Adding JuJu Smith-Schuster will help, but Meyers and Agholor leave a void of 98 receptions, 1,166 yards, and eight touchdowns combined.
Smith-Schuster posted 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns last season with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots don’t have any other receivers on the roster who eclipsed at least 40 catches, 500 yards, and three touchdowns last season.
Hopkins Battling Injuries in Recent Years
Injuries limited Hopkins the past two seasons with 15 games missed since 2020. Hopkins sustained a hamstring injury in 2021 followed by a torn MCL. He then endured a knee strain in December 2022.
Hopkins also missed the first six games of 2022 because of suspension due to violations of the NFL performance-enhancing drugs policy. He denied the allegations in an interview with KPNX’s Cameron Cox via NFL.com.
Before 2021, Hopkins had been durable in his first seven seasons with two games missed. He has 853 receptions for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns in his career.
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