DeAndre Hopkins has made a decision on his future, having opted to sign with the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday. But he was also very close to joining the New England Patriots.
Like the Titans, the Pats hosted the wideout following his release from Arizona and were in the race for his signature right up until the very last.
Hopkins was said to be considering offers from both teams over the last few weeks and was also reported to be waiting on an offer from the Kansas City Chiefs. He ultimately decided to join Tennessee, though it’s been revealed that both teams offered similar sums.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is reporting that the player’s contract with the Titans includes a base salary of $12 million while he could earn up to $15 million through performance-based incentives.
While the Pats were willing to match the financial total, their offer had a higher percentage of incentives compared to Tennessee’s.
“New England was willing to match the max total ($15 million) for 2023, only with a far higher percentage of that total tied to incentives as part of an offer that, structurally at least, looked a little like Kansas City’s offer before the draft,” Breer writes.
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With Hopkins now off the table, Bill Belichick is left with JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Tyquan Thornton at the wideout position.
The head coach is already reported to be on the hot seat and having a receiver of Hopkins’ caliber would have likely made his work a lot easier.
