Mike Florio condemns Bill Belichick for not offering DeAndre Hopkins a better deal than Titans - “Bit of a head-scratcher”
DeAndre Hopkins is now a member of the Tennessee Titans after signing with Mike Vrabel's franchise.
With the list for Hopkins' potential suitors reportedly down to just the Titans and New England Patriots, both were seen as good options.
The Titans needed to replace A.J. Brown, while the Patriots needed a star receiver for young quarterback Mac Jones. But it was the Titans who won the battle for DeAndre Hopkins' signature.
NBC's Mike Florio is at a loss for words as to why Bill Belichick and the Patriots didn't go harder for a player the offense and the team, as a whole, needed.
Florio wrote for NBC Sports com:
“Hopkins surely wanted at least $15 million for 2023, since that’s what Odell Beckham Jr. got from the Ravens. And Belichick presumably could have gotten Hopkins if he had simply been willing to out-bid Vrabel.
BREAKING: Titans signing WR DeAndre Hopkins to a 2-year, $26M deal worth up to $32M with incentives. (via @rapsheet) https://t.co/0k1KLaYQHU
“Ultimately, Belichick wasn’t willing to do it. Which is a bit of a head-scratcher.
With mounting pressure on Belichick to win in an ultra-competitive division, the fact that he wanted Hopkins presumably should have been enough to overcome a million here or a million there.”
Patriots miss massive chance to sign DeAndre Hopkins
The Patriots needed a star receiver like Hopkins and have missed a huge chance to bolster the offense. With Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki joining this offseason to lift a receiving room that has Tyquan Thornton, DeVante Parker, and Kendrick Bourne, adding Hopkins would have been the cherry on top.
With the offense only averaging 21.4 points per game last season (ranked 17th), getting a needle-moving receiver like Hopkins would have done wonders.
Belichick is under huge pressure this season to drag the Patriots back into playoff contention. As Florio said, it would have been easier with a player like DeAndre Hopkins, not to mention what the veteran receiver could have done for Mac Jones.