After the New England Patriots signed wide receiver DeVante Parker to a three-year, $33 million contract extension on Wednesday, many fans and pundits wondered if that would affect the team's interest in star free agent DeAndre Hopkins. The answer: not likely. The Patriots' Parker contract “will not dampen any optimism” of the team bringing in Hopkins, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The Patriots, who inked free agent wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $33 million contract earlier in the offseason, have invested a fair amount of money to the position following the Parker re-signing.
But it seems that New England's hopes of landing Hopkins are not dashed by the decision to retain Parker for the future. And if anything, the Parker contract makes a Hopkins deal easier.
Parker, who has one 1000-yard season in his career, didn't seem to want to engage any reporters who asked him about a potential Hopkins addition.
And Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was his usual grumpy self with the media when asked about Hopkins' visit with New England, telling reporters that he's not a “travel agent.”
But while Belichick might not be changing the way he operates regarding the media, it seems like there's a change in the way he's building out the Patriots' roster.
After missing the playoffs just once in 17 seasons from 2003 to 2019, the Patriots have now missed out on postseason football two times in the last three years.
And with quarterback Mac Jones, who took a major step back in his second season last year, entering a pivotal third year in the league, it seems Belichick and the Patriots want as many offensive weapons around him as possible.
That's likely why Hopkins is still on the table.
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