DeAndre Hopkins will not be coming to New England. According to Doug Kyed of AtoZ Sports, Hopkins is signing with the Tennessee Titans.
Free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins is expected to sign with the Titans, per source. Deal is expected to become official over the next few days.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) July 16, 2023
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Hopkins is signing a two year deal worth $26 million dollars. The deal could be worth up to $32 million dollars with incentives.
The #Titans are giving star WR DeAndre Hopkins a 2-year, $26M deal worth up to $32M with incentives, source said.
He gets a base of $12M in Year 1 with a chance to get to $15M. https://t.co/4Vsy2sF1zG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 16, 2023
The Patriots and Titans were the only two teams to pursue Hopkins and in the end, he took the money and went to Tennessee. We do not know what the Patriots would have offered Hopkins but it is highly unlikely that they would have offered him what he got in Tennessee.
With the Hopkins speculation officially put to bed now, the focus can shift from Hopkins possibly signing to what the Patriots currently have on the roster at receiver.
The Patriots have plenty of depth at the position and they should be fine moving forward. Factor in that they will be in 12 and 13 personnel a lot with Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki and Anthony Firkser and the Patriots don’t really need another receiver even if it’s DeAndre Hopkins.
It was obviously about the money for Hopkins. Mac Jones is better than any quarterback on the Titans roster. If it was about winning or having a chance to win, he would have signed with the Patriots. Once the Chiefs and Bills failed to show interest, Hopkins pivoted and decided to chase the money. Tennessee gave him the best deal.
The Patriots top four receivers are locked in. It will be interesting to see what they do with the fifth receiver spot. One thing is certain. It will not be DeAndre Hopkins. Now we know for sure.