Will DeVante Parker Extension Impact Patriots’ DeAndre Hopkins Chances?

The New England Patriots reportedly locked DeVante Parker into a three-year contract extension Wednesday, tying him to the team through 2025.

The decision to extend who is considered the Patriots’ most talented and proven outside threat was one that raised a few questions around New England. The Patriots, after all. could be viewed as one of a few teams still vying for the services of DeAndre Hopkins. In making the move to keep Parker on the books, New England now has three receivers (Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton) under contract for the next three seasons.

Does that mean the Patriots are now out of the Hopkins sweepstakes?

Not exactly.

The decision to keep Parker actually makes it more likely that New England signs the three-time All-Pro wideout, as it is expected to open up cap space. The Patriots put some funky language into the contract, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, which will lower Parker’s inherited base salary and make the majority of new money incentive-based.

If you don’t think that explanation is enough, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, who initially broke the news of Parker’s extension, said “Parker’s new contract will not dampen any optimism of bringing in Hopkins, who’s not expected to sign with a club until just before training camps kick off in late July.”

The Patriots hosted Hopkins on a visit in early June, and are among just three or four teams with reported interest in bringing him in. The only thing this extension does is change who the odd-man out is should Hopkins come aboard.

Kendrick Bourne is now the final piece of the puzzle, with this extension serving as an insurance plan should Hopkins sign elsewhere. In the event he does, the Patriots now have one thing to figure out as opposed to two.