With the report on Friday morning that DeAndre Hopkins will be visiting the Patriots next week, it look as as clear as ever that New England is truly interested in signing the 31-year-old five-time All-Pro wide receiver. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given they’ve been linked to him since last December.
The real question at this point is would Hopkins sign with the Patriots? That was the first pushback when the topic was originally floated, with the idea being he’d look to sign with a contender to chase a ring. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Hopkins h himself.
Stable management
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 18: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots watches his players warm up before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 30-24. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HOPKINS: “Stable management upstairs. I think that’s something that I haven’t really had the past couple years in my career coming from Houston, being in Arizona. I’ve been through 3 to 4 GMs [in] my career. So a stable management.”
This one comes down to what Hopkins means by the world ‘management.’ He cites GMs, which in the Patriots’ case would be Bill Belichick.
Outside factors aside, Belichick himself described his status as “one year at a time” in an interview with the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy just last September. In that sense, it’s hard to call the GM position in New England stable.
However, that context changes if you look a little deeper. For one, if the Patriots add Hopkins and he continues to play at a high level – which is what in his mind he’s coming here to do in the first place – the team should be good enough to entice Belichick to stick around. Perhaps more importantly, even if Belichick does step away, it doesn’t seem like there would be a major organization overall.
Secondly – when Hopkins refers to the constant changes of GMs he’s faced, those were because of firings. Those teams typically brought in a new GM from the outside with a new vision, leading to a rebuilding of the organization. Would that be the case in New England immediately post Belichick? That would be counter to the way Robert Kraft has run things in the past. If Kraft is considered “management,” and he should be, that element certainly is stable.
A QB who loves the game
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 30: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots reacts at the line of scrimmage during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 30, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
HOPKINS: “A QB who loves the game. A QB who brings everybody on board with him and pushes not just himself, but people around him. I don’t need a great QB. I’ve done it with subpar QBs. Just a QB who loves the game like I do.”
When hearing this quote from Hopkins, the first thing that came to mind is a quote from Mac Jones, when asked how he was going to spend his bye week his rookie year.
“Reviewing the film and things that we can do better and just getting away a little bit, taking the advice from the older people on our team, but also realizing that we have a big game coming up,” he said at the time. “We have to be ready to go with that in mind and have a big-picture view there.”
Another quote from Jones from earlier this month comes to mind. When asked about his relationship with another wide receiver, Juju Smith-Schuster, Jones said, “He’s just a football nerd, kind of like me. We kind of hit it off in that regard.”
Current Patriots’ offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien highlighted Jones’ approach as well back in April. “Mac Jones has worked really, really hard this offseason. He’s been here every day,” O’Brien said at the start of offseason workouts. “A lot of good meetings. A lot of good give and take.”
Football nerd, football junkie, etc., Jones fits the bill. While he still has big questions to answer about his game last year, his work ethic and dedication to the sport are clear.
And to anybody still screaming at the screen “BUT MAC JONES ISN’T GOOD!” keep two things in mind. One, it’s too early to definitively know that. And two, go back and re-read Hopkins’ whole quote. “I don’t need a great QB. I’ve done it with subpar QBs.” On the list of quarterbacks Hopkins has played the most snaps with in his career, the top five includes players like Brock Osweiler, Tom Savage, and Brian Hoyer. Ryan Mallett and T.J. Yates also make it into the top 10. Not only does Jones fit his description, but even coming off a down season in 2022 still would rank as one of the most accomplished passers Hopkins will have worked with.
A great defense
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 06: Matthew Judon #9 and Ja’Whaun Bentley #8 of the New England Patriots celebrate in the first quarter of a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
HOPKINS: “A great defense. I think defense wins championships. For me, I think that’s the key. You’ve got to have a great defense, you’ve got to have a great D-line.”
Hopkins’ final box on his checklist is a resounding ‘yes’ for the Patriots. Their defense finished ranked in the top 10 last year, and scored more points on their own than any unit in football.
Not only was the Patriots’ defense good last year, it projects to improve in 2023. Outside of Devin McCourty’s retirement, the Patriots re-signed every single defensive free agent they had who played in a game last year. On top of that, they used their top three draft picks on defense selecting cornerback Christian Gonzalez, defensive end Keion White, and linebacker/safety Marte Mapu.
Individually, Hopkins mentions the defensive line. It’s a bit of an interesting comment to see a wide receiver talk about the front rather than the secondary, but the Patriots have the box checked there. Among other things, Hopkins would become teammates with one of the top pash rushers in the league in Matthew Judon. In total the Patriots recorded 54 sacks as a team last year, which ranked third in the NFL.
