BREAKING: Patriots officially miss out on DeAndre Hopkins
Free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins appears to be a free agent no more. The Patriots have missed out on the chance to sign him, as the WR will sign with the Tennessee Titans. Well, this stinks for those who were hoping Hopkins lands in New England. The All-Pro and future Hall of Famer has apparently decided to sign with the Tennessee Titans, according to multiple reports.
3x All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to sign with the Tennessee Titans, per sources. This is new Titans GM Ran Carthon’s first big splash. @DougKyed the first to report.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) July 16, 2023
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
If you want to take some positives for this, I guess you could say that it's good that Hopkins didn't sign with the Buffalo Bills, who were rumored to be interested in him. However, what makes this sting the most is that Hopkins decided to sign with an awful football team. The Tennessee Titans are much closer to a rebuild than contending, so this signing not only doesn't make sense, but should make Patriots' fans
As of now, we do not know what the contract looks like, but I bet the Titans outbid the Patriots by a significant margin, and that may have been the deciding factor for Hopkins, who may be yet another veteran wide receiver to see his career die in Tennessee. The Titans parted with a few veteran players this offseason and took a quarterback in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. If you could come up with a team that made the least sense for Hopkins, the Titans might be it.
With the New England Patriots, Hopkins would have not only been playing in a more efficient offense, but would have clearly been the focal point of that receiving game. The Patriots have officially missed out on this huge chance, and it stings for many reasons. Well, I guess now that the Hopkins' saga is over, we can go back to focusing on what players the Patriots do have on offense and how they can contribute to the success of the team in 2023.