Could the New England Patriots still swing a trade for DeAndre Hopkins? Sure. But only if he becomes dirt cheap to acquire.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said during a recent appearance on the “Greg Bedard Podcast” that he could only envision New England seriously pursuing Hopkins if the veteran wide receiver’s already-soft market craters.
Hopkins’ name has been mentioned in trade rumors for months, but the Arizona Cardinals have yet to find a taker for the five-time Pro Bowler.
“I think for a team like the Patriots, it would either be no draft-pick compensation or way, way, way down from Arizona’s initial ask, and an adjustment to the contract,” Breer said. “And that obviously gives Hopkins considerable control over the situation, because if you’re going to change the contract, then you have to go to him.
“So I think this is a really, really complicated one, and (the Patriots) haven’t shown great interest. They haven’t really been in it to this point. Like, if his market collapsed completely and he was cut or he was available for almost nothing and is willing to redo his contract, maybe we’re talking about something else.”
Breer reported Arizona initially was seeking a second-round pick and an additional asset for Hopkins, who turns 31 in June. Now, there are “some teams” that believe the Cardinals will end up releasing him, per Breer’s report.
A Patriots trade for Hopkins would require some sort of contract adjustment, as New England currently does not have the salary cap space to take on the wideout’s salary. On his current deal, Hopkins would carry a 2023 cap hit of roughly $19.5 million if traded, and the Patriots have just over $12 million in available space.
The Patriots made one significant change to their receiving corps last month when they let Jakobi Meyers walk in free agency and signed JuJu Smith-Schuster. They also brought in tight end Mike Gesicki, who’s more of a jumbo-sized slot receiver than a traditional in-line player. That group still lacks high-end talent, however, which the organization could rectify by acquiring someone like Hopkins or Denver’s Jerry Jeudy.
But so far, the price for both of those players has been too steep for the Patriots’ liking.
