Can Patriots Afford Ex-Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins?

The New England Patriots are considered contenders to sign DeAndre Hopkins, but can they afford his contract demands?

The big news heading into Memorial Day weekend was the release of Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. Hope is once again in the air for New England Patriots fans as they are wishful that Hopkins will move to Foxboro following his release from the Cardinals.

No, Hopkins did not name Patriots' quarterback Mac Jones as one of the five quarterbacks he'd like to play with during his recent interview on the I AM ATHLETE podcast. But New England is still considered one of the top five favorites to land the 30-year-old receiver. 

While the rocky relationship between Hopkins and new Patriots' offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien could do more harm than good to New England's chances, it is the cap space that the team has that could make a deal happen.

According to OverTheCap, the Patriots still have $14.1 million in cap room after this offseason.

Despite the signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki in free agency, the Patriots could still use help from a veteran playmaker. While Smith-Schuster has proven productive recently, he hasn't functioned like a No. 1 option since 2018, when he totaled over 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That doesn't mean Smith-Schuster can't do it, as he certainly could, but now the Patriots now have a way to relieve some of that pressure. By signing Hopkins, they'd land that No. 1 receiver they have been looking to pair with Jones. 

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