The New England Patriots are in dire need of some receiver help, and with Odell Beckham Jr available in free agency and Arizona Cardinals superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins on the trading block, one would think they’d be all in on one or the other in an attempt to give third-year quarterback Mac Jones a bona fide weapon on the outside.
While adding OBJ would be nice, Hopkins is a more consistent and durable receiver. When you watch Hopkins play, he seems to embody the kind of hard-nosed, reliable veteran Bill Belichick looks for in a player.
Why Won’t Patriots Trade For OBJ Or D-Hop?
In an interview last week, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer told NBC Sports Boston that the Patriots seemed to be out on the possibility of trading for the former All-Pro wide receiver.
Breer cited “attitude issues,” poor practice habits and a volatile relationship with Patriots new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien from their time together in Houston.
ESPNs Dan Graziano in many ways shared those same sentiments from last week’s NFL owners meetings:
“It sounds like the history between Hopkins and new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is an impediment to his landing in New England.”
Hopkins Said He And Bill O’Brien Had No Relationship
Following the trade that sent D-Hop to the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, the former Clemson Tigers star told SI, that “there was no relationship,” between him and O’Brien the entire six years they were together.
The bad blood between Hopkins and O’Brien stems from a meeting in 2018, where the former Houston Texans head coach told his star pupil he had too much influence over the locker room.
He also told Hopkins he didn’t like him having his children’s mothers around the practice facility. He even compared Hopkins to former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, an odd and disrespectful comparison considering Hop has never had a criminal record.
This all is making the chances of the Patriots trading away “assets” for Hopkins very improbable, because of the fractured history with O’Brien.
Belichick Loves Hopkins, But Is That Enough?
Prior to the Patriots-Cardinals matchup during the 2022, Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, raved about Hopkins, and the two even embraced at midfield before the matchup.
“He’s got tremendous ball skills, he catches everything, great hands,” Belichick told reporters. “He’s never covered — even if he’s covered, there’s a place the ball can be that he can get it, still make the catch. Great coordination on the sidelines, and he doesn’t really look it but he’s a strong kid. You see him break tackles, he’s strong creating separation, yards after contact, extra yards around the goal line or the extra yard for a first down. He’s a smart football player, very savvy. His ball skills are at the very elite level with guys I’ve seen in this league.
“He’s up there with whoever the top guys are, Cris Carters of the world and guys like that,” the Patriots coach added. “He’s every bit as good as anybody I’ve ever coached against.”
Big time respect shown by Belichick toward Hopkins, but is that enough to swing a trade for the talented pass catcher? As of now it doesn’t seem as if it’s gonna happen, and BOB is a huge reason why.
