The New England Patriots offseason plan is underway, but it's tough to see what that plan is. The Pats have largely worked on re-signing their own players on defense, and while there's been some turnover on offense, it's tough to definitively say that they are a better team as a result of their additions. That could all change with a trade for DeAndre Hopkins.

Ever since the end of the Tom Brady era in New England, the Patriots pass-catching corps has been pretty awful. Gone are the likes of Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, and Chris Hogan, and unfortunately, no one has really been brought in to replace their production. We've seen some strong seasons from Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Hunter Henry, but this group has been lacking for quite some time now.

This lack of pass-catching talent certainly hasn't helped Mac Jones in his quest to become the Patriots quarterback of the future, and it's time to change that. Sure, the team has brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, but with Meyers and Jonnu Smith headed out the exit door, it doesn't change much for the Patriots offense. That's why it's come down to Hopkins or bust for New England this offseason, and it's time for them to go get their guy.

Patriots need to trade for DeAndre Hopkins to salvage their offseason

Hopkins is coming off a 2022 campaign that was pretty impressive when you consider the full scope of his season. Hopkins played in only nine games, but put together a strong statline (64 REC, 717 YDS, 3 TD) for the Arizona Cardinals. Add in the fact that he really only played four games with starting quarterback Kyler Murray throwing him passes, and it makes things even more impressive.

Even though he's set to turn 31 before the start of the 2023 season, Hopkins has proven time and again that he's still a true top-tier wide receiver who can move an offense up and down the field. He's never had truly consistent quarterbacking throughout his career, but he hasn't let it affect his production. For Jones, who's coming off a turbulent 2022 season, Hopkins is the perfect option for him.

Jones was thrown through the ringer last season. His coaching staff was awful, he had a very limited array of options in the passing game, and he found himself in the middle of an unexpected quarterback competition with Bailey Zappe. Franchises want to help their young shot callers grow, but New England erased most of the positive progress Jones made in his rookie campaign back in 2021.

The goal this offseason is to make Jones' life easier under center moving forward, but has that really been accomplished to this point? The addition of Bill O'Brien as the new offensive coordinator is a fantastic move, partly due to O'Brien's experience with the team, and partly due to how incompetent Matt Patricia and Joe Judge were as the showrunners of the offense last season.

But for personnel, there are still a lot of question marks. The offensive line still needs an injection of talent after adding depth in Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson, but more importantly, there needs to be more talent at the skill positions. We mentioned Smith-Schuster and Gesicki coming in, and while they have high ceilings, do they really move the needle for New England's offense?

It's tough to truly feel great about the moves New England has made so far this offseason. At best, they have minimally improved themselves, but that's not going to cut it in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills have the Pats number nowadays (assuming there aren't absurd wind gusts affecting the game), the Miami Dolphins made a huge move for Jalen Ramsey to shore up their defense, and the New York Jets are almost certainly going to have Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback next season.

If Bill Belichick wants to break the all-time coaching wins record like recent reports suggest, more work needs to be done this offseason. That's why trading for Hopkins is so vital. The Patriots pass-catching corps is incomplete right now. But a top trio of Hopkins, Smith-Schuster, and Bourne or DeVante Parker would give Jones some options to work with that he hasn't had at his disposal in his young career.

The Cardinals asking price for Hopkins is reportedly dropping, and considering how the Pats have 11 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft currently, they can certainly spare a few to land a top talent like Hopkins. This deal has Belichick written all over it, but until he can get out of his own way and realize that, the Pats lumbering offseason will continue. Hopkins could salvage New England's offseason, and in a sense their offense, and at this point, the fate of the Pats offseason could depend on whether or not they get a deal done here.