The Patriots should not be interested in a Cook/Hopkins package deal

Everybody loves a bargain. The idea of getting something for nothing has retailers in every segment getting creative with enticing sales. Buy one, get one free. Buy the first one, get the second one half off. Free with every purchase. They are clever gimmicks, and the most savvy consumers (like yours truly) don’t buy it. There’s always a catch.

Prices get jacked up, and overflows of unwanted and unsold inventory get thrown into bags as a promotion, because it’s cheaper than throwing those products away. As a Patriots fan, I also refuse to be hornswoggled or bamboozled. When it comes to Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins, I will tell the cashier, “No thank you! Keep your package deal. Not only am I not interested in the package, I don’t want either one by themselves.”

On the Adam Schefter podcast, Davin Cook said it would be “epic” to play alongside Deandre Hopkins. Of course, any time great players team up, it could be epic. It’s not news to believe this, and it’s highly likely that Cook was just alluding to this idea, and thinks it would be equally epic to join forces with Dak Prescott or Stefon Diggs. 

The comment did spark speculation, however, that the pair may go to a team as a package deal. Since Hopkins already met with the Patriots, and Dalvin Cook has been getting a little overzealous with his Twitter likes, New England fans are jumping to the conclusion that both could end up playing their home games at Gillette Stadium.

In the immortal words of Steven Tyler, “Dream On!” It makes absolutely no fiscal sense to wait in line on Black Friday for this package deal. Signing one guy would not result in getting the other guy for half off. Both players are looking to get paid, and sticking with the shopping theme, we all know Bill Belichick is a coupon clipper. It’s not going to happen, but that’s a good thing.

The Patriots' wide receiver room is void of star power, and I wouldn’t dream of debating that. Hopkins would get a few of those guys past the velvet ropes in some Boston area clubs, no doubt, but star power does not equate to wins. A receiver's best ability is not his speed, hands, or route running. The best ability a receiver can have is his availability. If we were rating that ability on Madden 24 for Hopkins, it would be a 55 or 60. He can’t stay on the field. He only played in 9 games last year, and only 10 in 2021. He’s not worth the money he’s looking for, because he’s only going to earn 50% of it.

Hopkins also just turned 31, and he isn’t looking like a modern-day Jerry Rice in terms of longevity. We can see he’s falling apart. He doesn’t have the same breakaway speed he did even 3 years ago, and he certainly can’t high point the ball like the DeAndre Hopkins of old. He’s a one-trick pony with a rusty trick. We already have Devante Adams. Why pay five times as much for the same player? Makes no sense.

Dalvin Cook will turn 28 this year. In Running Back years, that makes him 84. They’d have to install handrails in the shower for this guy. Like Hopkins, his best years are 3 years in the past. Unless he’s going to workout with Tom Brady, his career is on the back nine. Pretty much, he’s on hole 16. He couldn’t get a long-term deal done in Minnesota, and now he’s looking to cash in on the open market. He's playing the wrong position though. Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs don’t have deals either, and they won’t get them. A classic blunder is drafting a running back in round one, but even more detrimental to a franchise is signing them to a second contract. You chew them up, you spit them out, you draft another one.

Thanks but no thanks, Dalvin Cook. Thanks but not thanks DeAndre Hopkins. Peddle your package deals, and your rapidly aging abilities to the Chiefs, Bears, or any of the other 31 teams. Don’t bring them to Foxborough, unless they come with a 50% off coupon, just like your stats.

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