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What's been possibly viewed as the biggest hurdle to a DeAndre Hopkins signing for the New England Patriots might not be much of a hurdle at all, according to the latest NFL rumors.
Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien would be OK with the team signing the All-Pro receiver three years after he traded him when the two were together with the Houston Texans, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported.
“Despite perception out there, my sense is that O’Brien would be plenty on board with, not against, signing Hopkins (and Hopkins had his most productive years playing for O’Brien in Houston),” Breer wrote in his weekly column on Monday.
💥💥 @TheMMQB Takeaways for 6.5 💥💥
🏈 @MacJones_10's place in Foxboro.
🏈 @DeAndreHopkins' market is … mild.
🏈 A @DalvinCook trade that ALMOST happened.
🏈 2 special-teams aces led a kickoff-rule resistance.
🏈 @BrockPurdy13 update.
🏈 MORE!https://t.co/jxsNzbHgfz— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 5, 2023
Prior to Breer's report, there had been NFL rumors that there was a possible rift between O'Brien and Hopkins that led to Houston trading him to the Arizona Cardinals in March 2020. The Texans getting a surprisingly low return at the time (a second-round pick along with running back David Johnson, who was past his prime) added to those rumors. But that doesn't appear to be the case.
Not only is O'Brien's presence in New England apparently not a deterrent to a possible Hopkins deal, but the Patriots might sit in a good spot in the sweepstakes for the star receiver, too. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are close to the salary cap, with both having roughly $1 million in cap space as of Monday.
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That's why Breer thinks there's a narrow path for both teams to sign him.
“At this point, I’d say both those teams would sign him only at a discount,” Breer wrote of the Chiefs and Bills. “The Chiefs gave money that would’ve gone to Hopkins to left tackle Donovan Smith. The Bills traded up for Dalton Kincaid, lessening their need for a chain-moving receiver and giving them another mouth to feed in an offense that has to get the ball plenty to Stefon Diggs.”
The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens are also possible suitors for Hopkins, according to Breer.
If Hopkins is still looking for a decent payday, which Breer indicated is the case, the Patriots have some money available. They have a little more than $13 million in cap space and have several possible avenues to create more space without drastically changing the outlook of the team.
It remains unknown though how long the Hopkins sweepstakes will take. It's been rumored that he'll visit teams in the coming weeks, but it isn't clear who he'll visit yet. The Patriots are reportedly expected to show more interest in Hopkins now that he's a free agent after they didn't show much interest in trading for him.
