Patriots fans who wanted to see DeAndre Hopkins catch passes from Mac Jones had their dream squashed Sunday.

New England appeared to be one of the leading contenders in the Hopkins sweepstakes. The Patriots reportedly made their interest in the wide receiver clear shortly after his Arizona Cardinals release, and Foxboro, Mass. was one of the two known visit destinations along Hopkins’ free agency tour that nearly spanned two months.

Well, Hopkins isn’t going to call Gillette Stadium home this season, as the five-time Pro Bowl selection reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. And once Patriots fans found out Hopkins was bound for Nashville, a number of them dismally reacted on Twitter.

Bill Belichick and company won’t have to deal with game-planning for Hopkins in the regular season, but the Patriots soon will have an opportunity to see the 31-year-old up close and personal. New England and Tennessee are scheduled to share the field for a pair of joint practices ahead of their preseason Week 3 matchup at Nissan Stadium on Aug. 25.

As for the Patriots’ wide receiver situation, the group is expected to be headlined by newcomer JuJu Smith-Schuster, the recently extended DeVante Parker and sophomore Tyquan Thornton.

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Featured image via Joe Rondone/The Republic via USA TODAY Network