The New England Patriots have been widely linked to free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was released from the Arizona Cardinals on May 26.
Hopkins was entering the final year of his contract with the Cardinals. He was the subject of trade rumors for several months, but Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort ultimately decided to release Hopkins after failing to receive a trade offer for his liking.
It’s well-known by now how much New England head coach Bill Belichick loves Hopkins. But ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on a potential Hopkins issue that could prevent the Patriots from wanting to sign the five-time Pro Bowler:
“As for Hopkins, who would make any team better on the field, how he would fit into the team culture will be one of Belichick’s most important calculations.
When the Patriots make a significant investment in a player, they are essentially telling everyone in the locker room what they value most. Belichick believes heavily in practice. He annually says that the best way for players to improve is practice.
But word out of Arizona is that the 31-year-old Hopkins, who was due to make $19 million in 2023 before his release, did not like to practice. And it’s perhaps telling that as the Cardinals are attempting to establish a new culture under first-year coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort, they voluntarily subtracted Hopkins from the mix.”
Indeed, Belichick takes practice incredibly seriously. Who can forget the time where little-known running back Jonas Gray rushed for 201 yards in a 2014 regular season game against the Indianapolis Colts, only to never see the starting job again after oversleeping and missing a team practice soon after?
Of course, a well-respected and all-time great head coach like Belichick shouldn’t have to tell a player like Hopkins the importance of practice. Any player committed to “The Patriot Way” should figure this all out on their own, pure and simple.
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New England has missed the postseason in two of the last three years, and they haven’t won a playoff game since Super Bowl 53 four years ago. Adding a player of Hopkins’ caliber would go a long way in fixing an offense that has been mired in mediocrity since Tom Brady’s departure in 2020.
Despite missing eight games last season, Hopkins caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns.
