Mac Jones ‘would love' to have DeAndre Hopkins on Patriots
The New England Patriots are firmly in the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes.
Bill Belichick confirmed the team is supposed to host the star wide receiver for a free-agent visit but was mum on the timing of the meeting.
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“I think it relates more to the logistics and things like that,” Belichick told reporters on Monday. “I’m not really a travel agent. I’m not going to say it’s going to happen here, or it’s not going to happen."
In the meantime, Patriots players are enjoying the thought of Hopkins adding another dimension to the offense in 2023. Fellow wideout Kendrick Bourne reacted positively on Friday to the news of Hopkins' meeting with the team. After Monday's mandatory minicamp session, quarterback Mac Jones shared a similar sentiment.
"I think DeAndre's a great player. I mean, you watch his film from college all the way through the NFL, he's done a great job. So obviously, we'd love to have him," Jones said. "But we do have a great group of guys and we just know that we want to win, and I know that all the guys feel the same way."
Currently, the Patriots' wide receiver depth chart consists of DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Bourne, and rookie Kayshon Boutte.
After acknowledging that Hopkins would be a great addition, Jones heaped praise on the group he has worked with so far in camp.
"Been really pleased with the playmakers we have on our team," he said. "We've come out here and really bought into this system and that will really show in training camp and preseason. It's sometimes hard to show that out here, but I've been really pleased with the tight ends, running backs, and all the receivers. The young guys, the old guys, like DP (DeVante Parker) and everybody.
"So we have a good group and definitely feel like we just need to keep growing together. And whoever's in that room, we're gonna try and dominate together."
As for the cost to acquire Hopkins, it was reported earlier this month that the 31-year-old was looking for a contract similar to Odell Beckham Jr.'s one-year, $15 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens. But according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, that price may have dipped to about $10 million.
"I think right now, and I talked to a couple teams about this today, what he could get, maybe somewhere between $8-10 million in base pay with upside to make him whole and to get him closer to the number he was originally scheduled to make," Breer said on NBC Sports Boston's "Sports Sunday."
"I think it's going to be very difficult for him to get anywhere close to $19 million when it comes to the incentives and stuff, but I think he's probably looking to get close to $10 million, and it might be a bridge too far for the Patriots still."
Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowler, notched 221 receptions for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns over his last three seasons (35 games) with the Arizona Cardinals. While he may no longer be the elite wide receiver he once was, there's little doubt he would bring a significant boost to a New England offense that struggled mightily throughout the 2022 campaign.
