NFL Insider Casts Doubt About Cooper Kupp Joining Patriots

The Patriots absolutely should go after Cooper Kupp, and there are more than a few reasons to believe they will once the veteran wide receiver hits free agency.

However, convincing Kupp to take his talents to New England might not be the easiest task.

The Patriots do have a slate of appealing selling points: a Pro Bowl quarterback, a great coach, a highly accomplished offensive coordinator and the opportunity to be a No. 1 receiver on an ascending team. But one thing New England can’t offer Kupp at this juncture is the opportunity to win a Super Bowl this season, as Mike Vrabel’s group isn’t terribly far along in its rebuild.

For that reason, as well as others, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer doesn’t seem confident about Kupp’s chances of joining Drake Maye’s arsenal.

“I think a lot of it is going to come down to his options,” Breer said Tuesday on “Arbella Early Edition,” as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. “If he has a chance to go contend for a championship, I think he takes it. What happens if Jacksonville offers him a good deal? That’s another (destination with) no state income tax. He knows the new head coach there, Liam Coen. They’d be asking him to come in and be the guy that would be able to start up their culture.

“That’s sort of where I see this: The connections that helped the Patriots over the last couple of days get some of these guys might give us an idea of where Cooper Kupp might wind up.”

Kupp does have a few connections in Foxboro, Mass. The Super Bowl LVI MVP was college teammates with Kendrick Bourne and worked with new Patriots passing game coordinator Thomas Brown for three seasons in Los Angeles. Kupp also reportedly is “curious” about the idea of playing in New England.

But as Breer noted, the wideout’s decision likely will come down to what’s on the table. And another NFL insider expects Kupp to have a very robust market once he’s officially released by the Rams.