Patriots Signing Target DeAndre Hopkins Not in ‘Superstar Club’

Free-agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a target of the New England Patriots, has fallen off an exclusive list.

As the New England Patriots wait to see if free-agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins will join them, the 31-year-old learned that he's been pushed out of one of the NFL's most exclusive clubs. 

A three-time All-Pro, injuries and a six-game performance-enhancing drug suspension have limited Hopkins to 19 of a possible 34 regular season games over the last two seasons. And as such, NFL Media's Dan Hanzus recently unveiled his annual "Superstar Club," and said that Hopkins is no longer in his group of top receivers: 

"If the NFL world still saw Hopkins as a superstar, he wouldn't still be on the free-agent market. There was a time when Hopkins was arguably football's best wideout, but the 31-year-old has missed 15 games the past two seasons and has a recent PED suspension on his ledger. He remained a highly productive receiver upon his return from suspension in his final season in Arizona, but he might be more of a No. 2 or No. 1A receiver than The Man at this stage of the game." 

While Hopkins was ejected from the club, 10 other wideouts were selected. Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills, Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals, Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles, D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys, Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers and Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams were all named to the 2023 Superstar Club. 

In some senses, Hopkins is like Bill Belichick, who has fallen out of the top spot on most coach rankings prior to the 2023 season. Could the two pair up and find success late in each of their respective careers? Perhaps, but Hanzus went on to write of Hopkins that "potential partnerships in New England or Tennessee don't do much for the imagination." 

Even a few years ago, the idea of Belichick getting his hands on one of the best receivers of this era would have been scary. But the magic in New England seems to have worn off in the three seasons since quarterback Tom Brady was allowed to depart in free agency. Who knows, perhaps signing a motivated Hopkins -- which would reunite him with offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien -- would be just what all parties involved need, but it doesn't necessarily feel that way currently. 

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