Patriots Emerge As Betting Favorite To Acquire DeAndre Hopkins

The staff changes in the AFC East seemed to have shifted odds for DeAndre Hopkins’ next team.

The New England Patriots officially hired Bill O’Brien as their offensive coordinator Thursday, and the Jets also hired Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator on the same day.

The latter decision stirred up rumors of Aaron Rodgers arriving to New York due to his past working experience with the Packers offensive coordinator.

Green Bay opened as the betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to be the team that would acquire Hopkins from the Cardinals — Arizona reportedly plans on trading the star wide receiver.

However, the Patriots became the favorite with +350 odds as of Friday. This means a $100 bet would pay out $450. The Packers dropped to +500, which is the third-shortest odds behind the Kansas City Chiefs, who have +450 odds to acquire the All-Pro wide receiver.

Hopkins is owed over $34 million in the final two years of his contract, which is a steep figure for a receiver entering his age-31 season. But the belief around the league is the Cardinals are unlikely to garner a first-round pick in a potential trade.

The Patriots will have plenty of Day 2 and Day 3 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, so they likely have the capital Arizona would like.

The big question will be if Bill Belichick would be willing to forfeit those assets. Bill O’Brien’s rocky relationship with Hopkins from their time with the Houston Texans also could be cause for concern, but there is a belief the two can work things out, which would be extremely beneficial for Mac Jones, especially after a tumultuous season.