By most accounts, DeAndre Hopkins had a productive visit with the New England Patriots. So, why didn't he leave Foxboro with a contract in hand?
While the Patriots seemingly are "hopeful" they can sign Hopkins after meeting with the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver last week, Hopkins reportedly also is in "no rush" to sign anywhere and could wait until NFL training camps begin in late July to join his new team.
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During an appearance on NBC Sports Boston's "Sports Sunday," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer offered insight into why Hopkins may want to slow-play his free-agent process.
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"What this tells me ... is that he's still holding out hope that he's going to play for a contender -- a true contender like Buffalo or Kansas City," Breer said, as seen in the video player above. "The one thing you want to watch here: Kansas City has almost no cap space. They're working on a long-term deal for Chris Jones, their star defensive tackle, to lower his cap number. If that happens, the door could open back up for him going back to the Chiefs."
To Breer's point, the Chiefs rank last in the NFL with just over $650,000 in cap space (per OverTheCap) and would need to free up at least $8-10 million to sign Hopkins. But if Kansas City can find that cash by lowering Chris Jones' $28.3 million cap hit for 2023, it's understandable why Hopkins would want to play with Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champions instead of Mac Jones and the Patriots, who went 8-9 last season with the NFL's 26th-ranked offense.
"I think really what he's waiting for is something like that to materialize, because the money isn't great," Breer added of Hopkins. "It's not the Odell Beckham level, which was what he was looking for, and absent the money, I think he does want to play for a true contender."
Hopkins' visits with the Patriots and Tennessee Titans gives both teams a real possibility of signing him in free agency. But it's worth keeping an eye on teams like the Chiefs and Bills, who are far more attractive destinations for Hopkins if they can free up enough money over the next month-plus to acquire the 31-year-old wideout.
