Back in December, when the Patriots were preparing to face the Arizona Cardinals, Bill Belichick was downright effusive in his praise for DeAndre Hopkins. He compared Hopkins to a Pro Football Hall of Famer and said he's one of the best wide receivers he's ever coached against.
Then, during the game, Belichick sought out Hopkins to tell him he was glad the Patriots "only have to play (him) every four years."
This wasn't the typical boilerplate praise Belichick gives to nearly every New England opponent. This was something different -- a clear and obvious admiration for a player who's been one of the NFL's best at his position for the last decade. It also sparked speculation over whether the Patriots would pursue a trade for the five-time Pro Bowler, who was an expensive luxury for an Arizona team entering a rebuild.
A trade now won't be necessary. After months of rumors, the Cardinals on Friday released Hopkins, making him an unrestricted free agent. Any team now is free to sign the soon-to-be 31-year-old without giving up any assets or taking on Hopkins' $19 million salary.
That, of course, includes the Patriots, who've lacked elite talent at the receiver position for the last several seasons. But whether such a marriage is feasible remains to be seen.
New England clearly could use a player of Hopkins' caliber to add to a receiving corps that currently features JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Tre Nixon and sixth-round rookies Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas. He's older, yes, and past his prime, but the former Houston Texans star still was a highly productive pass-catcher last season. From his return from a PED suspension in Week 7 through starting quarterback Kyler Murray's season-ending injury in Week 14, Hopkins led the NFL in receptions and ranked fourth in receiving yards.
It's unclear, though, how lucrative a contract Hopkins will be seeking in free agency, and whether he'd have any interest in coming to New England. The Patriots don't have the look of a Super Bowl contender -- in fact, they're the odds-on favorite to finish last in the AFC East at most sportsbooks -- so they're not the ring-chaser's destination that they were during the Tom Brady era. Hopkins also had a complicated relationship with new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who traded him away when both were with Houston.
Hopkins will have options. He'll surely garner interest from heavy hitters like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, who both can offer much clearer paths to a championship than what he would find in Foxboro. Hopkins has been in the NFL since 2013 and never has advanced beyond the divisional round.
But the Patriots do meet the criteria Hopkins laid out during a recent appearance on Brandon Marshall's "I AM ATHLETE" podcast. He said he wants to play for a team that has "stable management," a quarterback who "loves the game" and a "great defense." He made no mention of joining a contender and said he "(doesn't) need a great QB." Hopkins also mentioned in the same interview that he'd heard "rumors" about the Patriots' interest in him.
So, perhaps the Patriots, who entered Friday with just over $14 million in salary cap space, per OverTheCap, are a viable suitor for Hopkins. Perhaps Belichick, who still has considerable pull with players despite the Patriots' lack of recent postseason success, can convince him to come aboard. Here's what he had to say about Hopkins in that aforementioned December news conference:
"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. Great coordination on the sidelines, and he doesn't really look it, but he's a strong kid. You see him break tackles. He's a strong kid in terms of creating separation on routes, yards after contact, you know, tough yards like around the goal line or that extra yard for a first down type of thing.
"He's a very smart football player, very savvy. But his ball skills are at the very elite level with guys that I've seen in this league. He's up there with whoever the top guys are, the Cris Carters of the world and guys like that. He's every bit as good as anybody I've ever coached against."
