FOXBORO, Mass. — Make no mistake: Mac Jones wanted DeAndre Hopkins to join the Patriots.
“Obviously, we’d love to have him,” Jones said in early June, roughly a little over a month before Hopkins joined the Tennessee Titans on a two-year contract.
So, privately, the third-year quarterback probably was upset upon learning New England wasn’t upgrading its receiving corps with a potential future Hall of Famer. But Jones on Wednesday said all the right things about the situation after the Patriots completed their first training camp practice.
“Yeah, I think DeAndre’s a great player and I know he’s gonna do great down there,” Jones said before turning the focus toward the receivers on New England’s roster.
Story continues below advertisement
“For us, I think we have a great group. And that’s what we’re trying to do: mold together. I think we have great tight ends, receivers and backs. We definitely have great depth.”
It’s typical for Jones to answer questions about receivers by saying some version of “we all can learn from each other.” That trend continued after he was asked about Hopkins.
“We’re gonna work together to kinda talk about the routes, and what we like and what we don’t like,” the 24-year-old said. “We’ve got some guys who’ve played a lot of snaps in the NFL in that room. … Just trying to learn from them, really, and talk and tell them how I see it, but also, at the end of the day, how they see it — because that’s important, too. So, that comes through film and just talking in the locker room and watching it out here on the practice field.”
With Hopkins now out of the picture, JuJu Smith-Schuster figures to be the top weapon in New England’s passing game. The veteran was on the field Wednesday after missing the bulk of spring practices due to a knee issue, and Jones expects big things from his new receiver.
Story continues below advertisement
“JuJu loves football. You can see the juice he brings,” Jones said. “He’s definitely really embraced everything. … I know he can bring that veteran leadership.”
New England will practice again Thursday and Friday before enjoying an off day Saturday. They’ll get back on the field Sunday.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
