Could there be an odd man out in New England if the Patriots sign DeAndre Hopkins?
- PGS NEST
- Jun 9, 2023
- 2 min read
What could DeAndre Hopkins' visit with the Patriots mean for their veteran receivers?
By PGS Nest
Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald
Prominent NFL insider Ian Rapoport announced early Friday (6/9) morning that star-studded receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be accepting a free agent visit with the Patriots scheduled for next week.
Earlier this year, the Arizona Cardinals announced to the world they would be exploring trade offers for 5-time pro bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Trade rumors surrounding Hopkins rippled across the NFL for months with the Patriots mentioned in said rumors. After an unsuccessful search for a trade partner, the Cardinals ultimately decided to release Hopkins in late May.
With Hopkins now able to sign with whoever he wants, the Patriots continued to be mentioned as a team to look out for in the Hopkins sweepstakes. However, many fans and media members questioned whether or not Hopkins would actually want to sign with New England due to the receiver's conflicted past with current Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. But, thankfully, several days after agreeing to his first free agent meeting with the Tennessee Titans, Hopkins agreed to a visit with the Patriots, immediately shutting down those rumors. This news also sparked a new question surrounding the Patriots current receiving corps...
Will the Patriots release one of their current receivers if they sign DeAndre Hopkins?
If the Patriots end up agreeing to terms with DeAndre Hopkins, they would have a total of nine receivers (excluding special teamers Matthew Slater and Raleigh Webb) on their active 90-man roster. Not to mention the fact that New England still has yet to sign their top three draft picks of 2023. These factors have led Patriots fans to point to two veteran receivers that could be the "odd man out". Those names include DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne.
Releasing Parker would clear around $6.2M in cap space, while releasing Bourne would clear $5.4M. Both are valid options if New England spends most of their remaining salary cap on signing Hopkins. Fans are also arguing that Parker plays similar to Hopkins and therefore would not be needed, while others argue the same for Bourne, but with the new additions brought into the receiving room this off-season. Both, once again, are valid points.
However, I don't see the Patriots releasing either player, let alone any current receiver specifically due to a DeAndre Hopkins signing. According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, a deal for Hopkins would be heavily incentive based with half of his former full 2023 salary ($19.45M) as the base salary. A deal similar to this would likely leave the Patriots with enough money to sign the rest of their 2023 rookies.
Cutting Bourne would save about $4 million with $1 million in dead cap. Parker would save all of his $6.2 million salary. I do agree that I'd wait until they were into training camp before making that type of roster decision. Also if they were going to move one of them I'd prefer a trade to the NFC even if you had to take some salary back.