Ex-Patriots Standout Explains ‘Tough Part’ Of DeAndre Hopkins Pursuit

Rob Ninkovich believes DeAndre Hopkins would be a good fit with the New England Patriots — at the right price.

Ninkovich, a former Patriots standout-turned-NFL analyst, explained Tuesday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” that Hopkins signing with New England would make sense for both sides.

Several questions hover over the Patriots’ offense, which struggled last season with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge pulling the strings, but Bill O’Brien returning as offensive coordinator should benefit quarterback Mac Jones and the unit as a whole, something Hopkins might want to consider while navigating free agency.

“I think this would be a great spot for D-Hop, because of Mac Jones, Billy O, the way this offense is going to run,” Ninkovich said. “And then you look at the depth chart, you’ve got JuJu (Smith-Schuster), you’ve got (DeVante) Parker, you’ve got (Kendrick) Bourne, you’ve got the young kid, (Tyquan) Thornton, right? I think his addition, he’s not going to be like a 100-catch, just use, use, use him up. It’s a good piece. He’s a great piece. He’s like a 1A.

“So, you bring him in and Billy O knows exactly where to use him, exactly ‘what plays I wanna run with you, like, this is when you’re gonna take the top off the defense, this is when you’re gonna run your sail routes, in the red zone you’re a huge go-to guy.’ And I think that gives Mac Jones a ton of confidence.”

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Unfortunately for the Patriots, it’s not quite that simple. Not only will New England need to make a compelling sales pitch to Hopkins, one of the NFL’s top wide receivers. It’ll also likely need to pony up a decent amount of cash.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens has been kicked around in rumors as a potential comparison. And the Ravens shelled out $15 million guaranteed to land the three-time Pro Bowl selection, a figure Ninkovich isn’t totally in favor of handing to Hopkins.

“If you’re the Patriots, I don’t think you throw him the most money.”

Rob Ninkovich on DeAndre Hopkins

“I don’t know about that one. That’s the tough part, because the contract that OBJ signed, the Ravens way overpaid for him,” Ninkovich said on WEEI. “I know D-Hop is a free agent and he’s trying to get, I guess, the last bite or the biggest contract he can. I don’t know if you do that. If you’re the Patriots, I don’t think you throw him the most money.”

“Yeah, I know, (Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s) doing alright,” Ninkovich added. “But I’m just thinking as far as, you’ve got other guys there saying, ‘OK, where’s he been the last two years?’ He only played in nine games last year. The performance still has to be there. We’re thinking back to like Texans D-Hop. Arizona D-Hop, yeah, he was great, but he wasn’t there. He missed a lot of games.”

So, what is Ninkovich’s prediction for Hopkins, who’s scheduled to visit the Patriots this week after being released by the Arizona Cardinals?

“I would love to see him here (in New England). I think he would be a great addition to the team. I think he would help us tremendously,” Ninkovich said. “But when it comes to the 15-plus million (dollars), I’m not sure. I don’t know if they’d want to go out there and do it.”

The Patriots and Hopkins have a lot to discuss as the 31-year-old wideout eyes the next chapter of his NFL career.