Rob Gronkowski and Calvin Johnson are the two latest names to endorse the Patriots pursuing DeAndre Hopkins. The all-time great pass-catchers say the stud wideout would give New England a needed home run threat and provide Mac Jones with the gift of a bonafide No. 1 receiver.
But a new report out of Arizona indicates the Patriots will only be interested in Hopkins at their price. In other words, they’re more interested in value than the player.
That doesn’t bode well for their chances of making a big splash in NFL free agency, despite their chief competitors in the AFC East continuing to load up.
On Sunday, Cardinals reporter Howard Balzer tweeted he heard from a Patriots source they will only be interested in Hopkins if he comes at a discounted rate — in terms of both personnel and financial cost.
“If they are going to give him away and Hopkins is willing to play on a reduced contract, I could see it,” said the source. “But that seems unlikely to me.”
Hopkins probably wouldn’t come cheaply. The Cardinals are reporting seeking a second-round pick for his services, and the five-time Pro Bowler is slated to earn base salaries of $19.5 million in 2023 and $14.9 million in 2024.
But with more than $26 million in cap space, and the ability to restructure deals (the Dolphins restructured Tyreek Hill’s contract to save $18 million against the cap before acquiring Jalen Ramsey), the Patriots could afford Hopkins if they wanted to.
While Hopkins only played in nine games last season due to a PED suspension, he still put up an absurd 717 yards receiving. Even more impressively, his quarterback for five of those games was Colt McCoy.
As WEEI’s Khari Thompson pointed out earlier this year, Hopkins would be the perfect veteran to bring in and help Jones flourish. He’s eclipsed 1,000 yards six times in his career and is a three-time First-Team Pro Bowl. Most importantly for Jones, quarterbacks have a career passer rating of 97.9 when targeting him.
Belichick’s famous bromance with Hopkins has led to long-standing speculation among Patriots fans that New England could land the future Hall of Famer. But as much as Belichick loves great football players, he yearns for a good bargain even more.
For years, Belichick enjoyed a similar mutual affection with Chad Ochocinco. The Patriots eventually brought him in, but only at the end of his career when he was willing to restructure his contract and only cost two late-round picks.
He was a flop in Foxborough, catching just 15 passes in 15 games.
Hopkins, 30, has much more left in the tank than Ochocinco. That means he’ll require a much bigger commitment.
The Bills, Dolphins and Jets are putting a premium on talent. It would be unfortunate if the Patriots chose to emphasize value over players.
