The New England Patriots missed out on the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes with the five-time All-Pro receiver signing a two-year deal with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Now, analysts are debating why New England did not sign the wide receiver.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is questioning if the Patriots even had strong enough interest in Hopkins. He joined The Greg Hill Show on Monday and talked about New England’s missed pursuit.
This is certainly an interesting development, as New England still needs a top wide receiver. Hopkins was constantly linked to the Patriots throughout the offseason, and there were rumors swirling that they were in a viable position to land him. But the end results paint a different picture, per Florio, as transcribed by WEEI.com’s Mike Kadlick.
“I’ve always wondered whether or not Bill Belichick was just kind of half-hearted in the pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins anyway because the way he’s handled his business in the past, he goes quiet, he goes secret, he goes stealth mode, and then he gets the guy. And we didn’t even know he wanted him until he got him. I always thought it was odd with Hopkins that it was so well known that the Patriots were interested.
“…I really have wondered ‘is this a guy that Belichick, kind of deep down, didn’t want’. And it goes back to the whole culture fit, that I’m sure you guys have talked about, and the practice aversion that Hopkins reportedly has. …If feel like if Bill really wanted [Hopkins], he would have gotten him, and we wouldn’t have even known he was chasing him.”
New England’s level of interest is certainly an interesting piece of the story. However, the fact remains that the organization missed out on getting a top-tier receiver. The Patriots certainly have improved on the offensive side of the football in comparison to last year, but Hopkins would have helped take the offense to a different level.
Whatever the case may be, New England has struggled to find a top-tier wide receiver over the past couple seasons. The Patriots will need someone to step up if they want to make a big impact offensively and keep pace with the rest of the AFC East division.
