DeAndre Hopkins is officially free to join any team of his choosing. The New England Patriots could be one of those teams.

Not long after the Arizona Cardinals released the veteran receiver on Friday, a pair of reports emerged on the Patriots' interest in Hopkins.

“The Patriots, who previously checked in on DeAndre Hopkins, are more likely to pursue him now that the contract isn’t as much of a hurdle, per sources,” The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported Friday. “Financial competition is a factor, but there should be a level of interest from New England.”

“The Patriots will be one of the teams to show interest in WR DeAndre Hopkins, per a source close to the situation,” Fox Sports' Henry McKenna added in another report. “Given he no longer requires trade compensation or the cumbersome contract, his market should be robust.”

Hopkins' contract prior to his release was reportedly a major hurdle for teams trying to acquire him because they viewed the Cardinals' attempts in trying to trade him as more of a salary cap dump. Hopkins had two years and $54.5 million remaining on his contract as the Cardinals ate $22.6 million in dead cap when they released him.

The All-Pro receiver indicated that he would be willing to adjust his contract in recent months. However, he also indicated which quarterbacks he'd like to play with recently and Mac Jones wasn't in his top five. He named Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts as the five quarterbacks he'd most like to catch passes from in an interview on the I Am Athlete podcast.

There's also the Bill O'Brien issue. The Patriots offensive coordinator coached Hopkins for several seasons in Houston before trading him as rumors emerged that the two had a falling-out at the end of the receiver's tenure with the Texans. There have been conflicting reports on if O'Brien's presence would deter Hopkins from signing with the Patriots.

The Patriots have roughly $13 million in cap space as of Friday afternoon.