Though free agent veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was not willing to see him on the Patriots roster, it seems the New England Patriots are going to be his next landing spot ahead of the regular season.
One of the most notable NFL offseason delights came from the Arizona Cardinals as the team released their veteran star wide receiver DeAndre last month after failing to find a trade partner for him and allowing him to become a free agent.
Reports claim DeAndre Hopkins is to visit Pats next week
Along with substituting tight end Jonnu Smith with Mike Gesicki and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers with JuJu Smith-Schuster during the offseason, the Patriots additionally picked up two receivers in the sixth round of the 2023 draft: Kayshon Boutte of LSU and Liberty’s Demario Douglas.
Even so, the team has been not covered by big-name talent at the receiver position for a while, perhaps they intend to strengthen the position with the former Cardinals WR as he is reportedly planning a visit to Bill Belichick in Foxboro next week, according to NFL Media.
Why Pats must maintain distance from Hopkins signing
The New England team has some immediate salary-cap flexibility to accommodate a wide receiver, with about $13 million in space and so accruing Hopkins would not be an issue. However, will it be wise to sign Nuk?
Though the veteran WR can be counted on to fill the position well, Bill Belichick should give the idea of signing the former Cardinals star player some additional thought because of two dominating factors.
The first one focuses on the wide receiver’s advancing age. The quarterbacks gradually lose productivity as they age because of physical deterioration in their stamina. This week marks DeAndre’s 31st birthday, so the Patriots team may find it challenging to decide whether to add him to the roster to strengthen the crucial WR position./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72316845/1229931007.0.jpg)
On the other hand, DeAndre has serious performance issues with the receiver being suspended for the first six games of the previous season due to a violation of the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs. In addition, his career has also been plagued by injuries starting in 2021, hence durability is yet another critical factor that cannot be ignored.
Early in the week, De-Hop was scheduled for a meeting with the Tennessee Titans, yet his New England tour has caused the situation to change.
So, even though Hopkins is undoubtedly an extremely talented WR, whether the Pats should get him on board remain a big question mark!
What do you think? Would you like to see De-Hop in the New England colors? Or should the Patriots look elsewhere? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section and stay tuned for more exciting updates!
