On the heels of WrestleMania 39, Matthew Judon pulled from the world of professional wrestling in his latest attempt to lure DeAndre Hopkins to New England.
Judon, who’s made multiple pitches to Hopkins on social media this offseason, on Monday tweeted a photo of himself and the Arizona Cardinals receiver accompanied by a GIF of “Macho Man” Randy Savage proclaiming: “You may not like it, but accept it.”
Hopkins’ name has appeared in trade rumors for months, but at this stage, the Patriots seem unlikely to land the five-time Pro Bowler.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently indicated the only way he could envision New England landing Hopkins is if his market completely craters and the Cardinals either trade him away for next to nothing or release him. And in the latter case, Hopkins would need to choose to sign with the Patriots over other suitors that are better positioned to contend this season.
But those details aren’t likely to deter Judon, who’s attempted to recruit nearly every possibly available veteran (and even some NFL draft prospects) to Foxboro.
The Patriots haven’t added any elite players this offseason, but they did take steps to address some of their offensive deficiencies with the additions of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight end Mike Gesicki and tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson. Other veteran additions could be forthcoming in the months before training camp, and New England currently owns 11 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, which kicks off April 27.
