Patriots reportedly think DeAndre Hopkins is ‘intrigued, interested’ in signing with them
Hopkins visited with the Patriots on Thursday, but a deal wasn't reached at that time.
The waiting game for DeAndre Hopkins to make his decision is on for the Patriots, who seem to feel good about their chances to land the free agent.
New England is still feeling “hopeful” about its chances of signing Hopkins following his visit to Foxborough this week and believes the feeling might be mutual, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“The Patriots feel that they’re in a pretty good spot; that they had a really productive visit with Hopkins on Thursday,” Fowler said on Sunday’s “SportsCenter.” “He showed up early in the morning and was there late into the afternoon, spent part of the night in New England there. Spent significant time in the building with Bill Belichick. I’m told there is significant mutual respect between Hopkins, the player, and the Hall of Fame coach in Belichick.
“So, they’re hopeful, certainly. He knows the interest is high and Hopkins gave the impression he’s certainly intrigued, interested in playing with New England. But he also does with the Titans and is not in a major rush to sign anywhere, could wait until closer to training camp, if need be, depending on the right deal.”
Belichick and Hopkins haven’t been shy in showing their respect for each other in the past. Prior to the Patriots’ matchup against the Cardinals in December 2022, Belichick said Hopkins is “every bit as good as anybody I’ve ever coached against.”
Hopkins called Belichick’s comments “very meaningful” when asked about them a few days later.
“A guy like Belichick, he’s one of the most respected people in the NFL, he’s a Hall of Fame coach, and for him to have that high praise about me, it’s definitely mutual,” Hopkins said at the time. “I love playing against him. After every game I try to make sure I say, ‘Hey, what’s up’ to him. I’ve got a lot of respect for him for sure.”
There have been many indications that Hopkins would take his time to choose his next home since the Cardinals released him in late May. It took a couple of weeks for Hopkins to set up visits, with his first coming with the Titans this past Sunday and Monday.
The sentiment that Hopkins would take his time to make a decision remained following his visit with the Titans and prior to his visit with the Patriots. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hopkins is in “no rush” to make a decision while the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Hopkins could wait until the start of training camp to sign with a team.
When Hopkins’s visit with the Patriots concluded on Thursday, there were several reports on it being a good meeting for both sides. However, a deal wasn’t agreed upon.
In the last few days, there have been some possible signs of a deal getting done between the two sides. Matthew Judon, who has tweeted about Hopkins joining the Patriots a handful of times this offseason, tweeted Saturday, “GM of the year?” That tweet led to many people wondering if Judon was celebrating a potential Hopkins signing. Hopkins also posted a picture of himself with Judon in the Patriots’ locker during his visit on Instagram with the caption “La familia.”
Hopkins’s visit with the Patriots appears to be the last visit he’ll take for at least some time. There haven’t been any reports of him visiting other teams in the coming days and weeks, but that could always change.
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