New England Patriots

New England Patriots

One of the Patriots’ biggest needs this offseason is to get a premier boundary wide receiver to give the offense a much needed explosive play maker. Luckily for them, a player fitting that description is expected to be available.

According to The Score’s Jordan Schultz, the Arizona Cardinals, who recently parted ways with both their GM and head coach, “plan to try and trade” wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason. Hopkins will be 31 at the start of next season.

Is this the opportunity the Patriots need? Could they pull off such a deal? As the offseason gets underway, the answer to both questions seems to be ‘yes.’


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  • After missing the first half of last season due to a suspension, Hopkins reminded everybody why he is one of the top wideouts in the league. In nine games he caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns.

    Ability isn’t why Hopkins projects to be available. Instead, it’s due to a combination of the state of the Cardinals’ franchise and his contract situation.

    Monday features a major shakeup out in Arizona. General manager Steve Keim stepped down from his position, and head coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired after going 28-38-1 over four seasons. Their departures came just 10 months after both were signed to significant contract extensions that the franchise will still have to pay.

    Things aren’t much clearer on the field level either. The Cardinals finished 4-13, and quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a significant knee injury late in the year that could cost him part of the 2023 season. Murray is another piece the Cardinals recently invested heavily in, signing him to a five-year, $230.5 million extension in April that included $160 million guaranteed.

  • MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 30: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals and head coach Kliff Kingsbury talk during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

    MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 30: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals and head coach Kliff Kingsbury talk during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

  • Given all of that uncertainty moving forwards, plus the 30 pending free agents the team has including star wide receiver Hollywood Brown and pass rusher Zach Allen, it would be hard for the Cardinals to justify keeping a 31-year-old receiver who is not a part of their long-term plans, no matter how good he is right now.

    Complicating things further is Hopkins’ contract. After being traded from the Texans to the Cardinals in 2020, Hopkins signed a two-year, $54.5 million extension that kicks in this year. With it, his cap hit goes from $15.7 million in 2022 to a whopping $30.75 million in 2023 – taking up 13.5 percent of the Cardinals salary cap – and $26.2 million in the final year of the deal in 2024.

    Now, there is an out in the contract this spring that would allow Arizona to save about $20 million against the cap over the next two years. That’s where the decision to trade him likely comes from. If he’s dealt, his cap number for his new team would be a much more manageable $19.45 million. Plus, because of the out in the contract his new team could end up re-working the deal and lowering that number further. According to Schultz, Hopkins “is likely to seek a new deal” if and when traded.

  • Nov 27, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA;  Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

    Nov 27, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

  • Will the Patriots be the ones to make the move? They certainly have the cap space to do so. As for the motivation? Earlier this week during his end-of-season press conferenceBill Belichick spoke about the Patriots to “be more productive than we were this year” on offense. Adding a high-volume All-Pro receiver like Hopkins would certainly fit that bill.

    Hopkins in particular also seems to be a player Belichick holds in high regard. Prior to the Patriots and Cardinals squaring off on Monday Night Football in December, Belichick raved about the five-time All-Pro.

    “He’s got tremendous ball skills. He catches everything, has great hands, and he’s long so he’s never covered. Even if he’s covered, there’s a place where the ball can be that he can get it and still make the catch,” Belichick said at the time. “He’s every bit as good as anybody I’ve ever coached against.”

    That show of affection continued directly during the game. NFL Films had Hopkins mic’d up, and caught Belichick speaking with him pregame. “I’m glad we only have to play you every four years, man,” Belichick told Hopkins, who replies “I love you, man.” Belichick replied “you too.”

  • So there’s reason to think there would be mutual interest on both sides. What would it take for the Patriots to get the deal done? Less than you may think.

    Hopkins’ trade value was initially set prior to the 2020 season. At that time, with a new contract up in the air, Hopkins was dealt along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and 29-year-old running back David Johnson, whose play had declined well beyond his previous All-Pro level at that point.

    Granted, that deal is considered one of the most lopsided in the modern history of the NFL, and may have been part of the reason Bill O’Brien (more on him in a second) was fired as the head coach and GM of the Houston Texans. At the same time, in the three years since Hopkins has played just one full season, faced a PED suspension, and crossed the age-30 threshold. So, all of that may net out and result in Hopkins’ current return being similar to the one from 2020. Even if it ups to, say, two second-round picks, that’s still well within the Patriots’ means.

    Finally though, there is that O’Brien angle. The two reportedly didn’t get along during their time together in Houston, with Hopkins eventually requesting a trade. Hopkins has refuted those reports but not to a strong degree, telling ESPN in April of 2020 that “there was no relationship” between him and O’Brien during their six years together in Houston.

  • HOUSTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 01: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Houston Texans reacts against the New England Patriots during the first quarter in the game at NRG Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

    HOUSTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 01: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Houston Texans reacts against the New England Patriots during the first quarter in the game at NRG Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

  • O’Brien, who has been the offensive coordinator at Alabama the last two years and whose contract with the school expires later his month, has had his name been mentioned heavily as a lead candidate to replace 2022 play-caller Matt Patricia in New England. His potential hire creates some complex questions as the Patriots finally have a chance to add a premier receiving threat for the first time in five years.

    Could Hopkins and O’Brien co-exist on the same team? Would they be able to bury the hatchet, or would hiring O’Brien be reason enough for Hopkins to enact his no-trade clause if a deal with New England came together? Or were the reports overblown in the first place, and the two can work together? On top of all of that is a bigger question – would the Patriots rather have Hopkins, or O’Brien?

    There are all questions the Patriots will need to deeply consider if they’re serious about improving their offense in 2023. But the opportunity to add a piece they’ve been missing back to the Tom Brady era appears to be there for the taking, if they want it.

  • DeAndre Hopkins’ career stats

     
    Year Age Tm G Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD Awards
    2013 21 HOU 16 91 52 802 15.4 2
    2014 22 HOU 16 127 76 1210 15.9 6
    2015* 23 HOU 16 192 111 1521 13.7 11 AP2, PB
    2016 24 HOU 16 151 78 954 12.2 4
    2017*+ 25 HOU 15 174 96 1378 14.4 13 AP OPoY-4, AP1, PB
    2018*+ 26 HOU 16 163 115 1572 13.7 11 AP OPoY-3, AP1, PB
    2019*+ 27 HOU 15 150 104 1165 11.2 7 AP1, PB
    2020* 28 ARI 16 160 115 1407 12.2 6 AP2, PB
    2021 29 ARI 10 64 42 572 13.6 8
    2022 30 ARI 9 96 64 717 11.2 3
    Total 145 1368 853 11298 13.2 71
    7 yr HOU 110 1048 632 8602 13.6 54
    3 yr ARI 35 320 221 2696 12.2 17
    * Selected to Pro Bowl, + First-Team AP All-Pro
    Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 1/10/2023.
  • Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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