The latest DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors should keep the Patriots alive

The Patriots didn’t do anything huge in the first week of free agency, certainly not an aggressive trade for a wide receiver. It looks like Bill Belichick made the right call to sit and wait.

Based on the latest NFL trade news and rumors, the Patriots should still be considered suitors for Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins. That’s because, as the dust has settled on the first week of the league year and other trades have taken place, it looks like the price tag for Hopkins is shrinking. And with that, the Patriots’ ability to land the three-time All-Pro is rising.

• The Cowboys became the team to set the market on a trade for a veteran wide receiver last week, when they acquired Brandin Cooks from the Texans. This is good news for the Patriots. The Cowboys gave up only a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth for Cooks, who was due about $32 million in real money over the next two seasons at the time of the trade.

  Hopkins is objectively better than Cooks, always has been. But he’s also older (he turns 31 on June 6) and slightly more expensive. Hopkins is signed for the next two seasons for an average salary of $17.2 million and an average cap hit of $27.7M, per Over The Cap.

  Like the Cowboys, who immediately restructured Cooks’ contract to rework his cap number, the Patriots would have to do the same with Hopkins. That is certainly doable. The question is whether the Pats are willing to pay him the $34.4M that he’s due in some form or fashion.

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  GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 13: Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Arizona Cardinals lines up during the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on December 13, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 30-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

• With or without New England in the mix, the heat is on in Arizona. According to Ian Rapoport, “talks are ramping up among the interested teams” for Hopkins. This comes after former NFL exec Mike Lombardi said on the newest “GM Shuffle” podcast that Hopkins’ market is “soft” and there’s “not a lot of action” on that front.

  Albert Breer reported last week at SI that the Cardinals’ asking price for Hopkins was “a second-rounder plus something else of value.” You’d have to think that the Cooks trade changes that discussion a bit. It’s also worth noting that Hopkins has a no-trade clause and could leverage his way to a specific team. The Cardinals could very well be left with no leverage.

  End of the day, who knows how realistic it even is that the Patriots would be the team to get a deal done. But if Hopkins decides he does want to come here, he’d immediately become the Patriots’ No. 1 pass-catching option in an offense run by Bill O’Brien, who has plenty of familiarity with him from their days in Houston.

  If it was Belichick’s plan all along to be patient and wait for the market to soften, then he made the right choice. We’ll see if the interest on the other side is mutual, and if he actually does what it takes to close the deal.

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.