For the last few weeks, the New England Patriots have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. They were one of only two teams, along with the Tennessee Titans, to host him for a visit, putting them in the mix from the start.
When putting the two franchises up against each other, it would seem like a no-brainer which team Hopkins would want to land with. The Patriots have a proven system with Bill Belichick leading the team and there was a clear need for a No. 1 receiver in New England.
Alas, the Patriots fell short of their pursuit. Hopkins ended up signing with the Titans, which was considered an upset before the last few days when betting odds were swinging in Tennessee’s favor. That leaves New England in a bind, as they didn’t upgrade the weapons around Mac Jones; they just replaced pieces they lost.
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki were signed in free agency to replace Jakobi Meyers and Jonnu Smith. A true No. 1 receiver such as Hopkins would have helped immensely, but he opted to take his talents to Nashville instead.
Missing out on Hopkins has drawn some strong opinions from analysts around the football world. One analyst that ripped into the Patriots for not landing him was Colin Cowherd. During a recent episode of his show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd on FS1, he had some strong words for the Patriots, who could be losing their luster when it comes to attracting free agents.
“To me, this is more of an indictment on New England. They can’t sell their vision offensively,” Cowherd said.
Cowherd could certainly be onto something there. The stable system in New England is one that you would normally think would win out against the Titans. They have a quarterback in Mac Jones that they know will be under center for the foreseeable future; guessing who the Titans’ starter will be in November is no easy task.
Gameplan-wise, the Titans have shown their offense revolves around running back Derrick Henry and the run game. That isn’t normally attractive to a wide receiver, but Hopkins still chose them over the Patriots.
Knowing the explosive offenses they have to keep up with in the AFC East, Hopkins would have been a great addition to the Patriots. The Patriots have to be kicking themselves after paying DeVante Parker an extension worth up to $33 million over three seasons when Hopkins just signed for up to $32 over two.
Hopkins would have at least given the team an option to rival Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Garrett Wilson. Now, Jones will have to keep up with Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Aaron Rodgers without a true No. 1 receiver on the offense and in the opinion of Cowherd, the Patriots have no one to blame but themselves.
