DeAndre Hopkins is Visting the Patriots and it Feels So Good
Bob Levey. Getty Images.Whenever a three-time All Pro and five-time Pro Bowler and a sexy glamor position is shopping himself around the NFL, there are going to be rumors. Gossip. Innuendoes. Reports. Speculation. Insinuations. Eventually linking him to pretty much every team in the league. And it's a wise person indeed who doesn't invest too much mental capital chasing them all.
But then there's this free agent. And this team. And this report:
This is something else entirely. Just the mere fact that DeAndre Hopkins is flying out to Foxboro is a development that cannot be overstated, for several reasons. First, because he reportedly just visited Tennessee. His connection there is that when Hopkins was having his best seasons in Houston, Mike Vrabel was the Texans linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. Meaning those two had the same working relationship someone who works in sales has with someone who works in IT. Like you're aware one another exist and probably talk about the commute or something while you're waiting for their Lean Cuisine to be done so you can use the microwave; but the only time you work together is when something goes wrong. More to the point, it means that the Titans (8th lowest cap space available in the league with just under $8 million according to Over the Cap) weren't able to blow him away with a no-need-to-talk-to-anyone-else sized offer.
Second, and more importantly, the very fact he's willing to sit down with the Pats is a triumph. Let's not forget that it was just about six weeks ago that such a meeting seemed like total non-starter:
Hopkins' own body language spoke for itself:
The reason why seemed so obvious that we don't need to get into the details. Suffice to say that he and Bill O'Brien weren't making each other Friendship Bracelets taking turns hosting sleepovers. Their lack of a relationship seemed like it would prevent Hopkins from even entertaining the idea of playing for O'Brien again.
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And more recently, that place where the Street Has No Interest was expected to run both ways, as the Patriots are notorious preparation addicts, Bill Belichick always lived by the creed "If you don't practice, you don't play." While according to some, Hopkins has a … let's call it, more of a government employee approach to the work week:
Phil Perry, NBC Sports Boston - After talking with several league sources this week about a potential union between Hopkins and the Patriots, a handful of themes have emerged. He is not thought to be, I'm told, a "program fit."
Hopkins "doesn't practice," said one offensive assistant. That sentiment was echoed by others who identified the Patriots as a "rigid" working environment where an emphasis on intense preparation is the modus operandi.
"That's not him," the offensive assistant said. "He's never been that guy."
And yet, here we are. Clearly Belichick and O'Brien don't agree, or this wouldn't be happening. Both sides wouldn't waste their precious time unless there was genuine, sincere interest and a reasonable belief they can get a deal worked out. Any more than your wife would waste a Saturday dragging you to an Open House of a place she hates or you can't possibly afford. As Blake puts it in Glengarry Glenn Ross, "You think they came in here to get out of the rain? A guy don't walk on the lot lest he wants to buy." The fact these two sides are walking onto each other's figurative lot tells us they want to buy. That in an of itself is a huge development.
I'll take issue with one phrase Rapoport threw into his Tweet, and that's his suggestion Hopkins' market is heating up. If anything, it seems to be cooling off as more and more teams are reportedly taking themselves out of the running. Unless Hopkins wants to play for a contender at a huge discount. Say, Kansas City or Buffalo. And that has never felt likely. He's looking for a payday, and he can get it in New England. Again according to OTC, the Patriots are middle of the pack in terms of cap room with just under $14.3 million. They also have the second most next year, and the most for 2025.
And the Patriots would present an opportunity for Hopkins after two down seasons in Arizona, where he missed more time than in his previous eight seasons combined. Despite what you're hearing from the Anti-Patriots Industrial Complex, they've got a young and promising quarterback. A solid receiver corps, but one that would allow Hopkins to be the WR1. And he's got familiarity with the system, having had the best seasons of his life playing in it under O'Brien in Houston.
One of the aspects of next week's meeting I'm fascinated about is how Hopkins will respond to the Patriots approach to these things. Because it's never not fascinating. They're legendary for the way they do nothing to impress free agents. Quite the opposite. They go out of their way to treat you like you're nothing special. Sending an intern to pick you up at the airport in a primered Ford Focus with McDonald's bags on the floor. Taking you out to lunch at the Red Wing Diner on Rte 1. Putting you up for the night at a La Quinta Inn. They've been doing some version of the low budget treatment since Belichick got here, to send the message they're all about the football, not trying to be Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban or whomever. It's appealed to guys who are serious and laser-focused on winning, like Anthony Pleasant and Rodney Harrison back in the day, and Junior Seau (RIP) and Chris Long in more recent times. I can't wait to see how it appeals to a guy with Hopkins' resume.
Just the fact we'll get the chance to find out seemed impossible a month and a half ago. Stay tuned. One of the most interesting offseasons in years is about to get a whole lot more interesting.