Hopkins Headed to Tennessee

[Pape]

31 years old and missed a lot of games the last couple of years, partly because of injuries and partly for reasons of the PED variety. Just sayin.

Certainly an upgrade but a guy that makes us a championship contender by himself? Nope. That part is up to Mac Jones.

I think this is the correct read on the situation... 2023 is all about Mac Jones, not what Hopkins could have added... Mac needs to win games this year, not "just be better" than his rookie year and the Catch-'22 "lost" season...

and as for Hopkins, that ped useage has to be directly related to age/injury... personally i do not care if these guys use peds... i think most do...

 

[SammyBlueCat]

This whole story = much ado about nothing

 

[thecore762]

I don’t recall the last time the Patriots ever outbid another team for a player…

Hopkins would have been a nice upgrade…

 

[Kontradiction]

Adam Schefter on Get Up this morning stated one of the teams interested in DHop offered him 4 million a year while Tennessee offered 12 million. Is he referring to the Pats or maybe one of the teams (Chiefs and Bills) that were interested early on.

I wouldn’t be surprised if that was us. It’s hard to see Hopkins not taking the $4M per year at this stage of his career (assuming incentives were added and he was actually serious about wanting to go to a contender) to play with either Mahomes or Allen. It’s harder to see him going to a middle-of-the-pack team like us with an unproven QB and an OC he didn’t get along with in Houston for that amount + incentives.

 

[Jangles]

Lol... you think he went to the Titans to chase a ring?

They also passed the ball the 30th fewest times in the NFL last year, so he wasn't going for targets or stats either.

Hopkins was obviously all about the money and won't be paying state income tax in Tennessee.

No

Obviously he went for the money.

But nobody is coming here for less anymore. There’s no reason to do that

 

[crawhammer]

It's fairly simple: Hopkins hasn't done anything for a few years, he's over 30 and living on past reputation meaning I don't believe he would have automatically become our #1 receiver straight out of the gate. Clear enough?

It's clear but inaccurate.

 

[Kdo5]

Average or mediocre receiving groups for six years running with minimal effort to bring in an elite receiver.

An #1 receiver can make a world of difference for a QB. It’s disappointing that we refuse to prioritize this. Bill doesn’t seem serious about Mac’s development.

All the great QB’s have a reliable #1. Mahomes had Hill for years, Allen has Diggs, Burrow has Chase. Mac has Jakobi Meyers or JuJu….

For the record I’m not huge on a 30 y/o Hopkins but he was a #1 option.

 

[crawhammer]

Depends how you view the Pats Offense but I think building from a 2TE base, it's running through the Henry-Gesicki tandem. Sprinkle whatever WRs you want around those two.

You falsely accuse Hopkins of being washed up and then tout Gesicki who essentially got phased out of his offense last season and finished with his worst production since his rookie season.

 

[BB8XSBW]

Why is everyone surprised? I told you all this would happen months ago. He desperately wanted to be a Patriot, and waited as long as humanly possible for a deal from the GOAT franchise to materialize, but it never came. It didn't come because Billy 8 Rings was never interested in this has been.

The guy is a washed up and useless prostitute at this point. Nothing but a stripper who dances for money.

 

[Kdo5]

Despite having gronk, edelman & amendola bill signed hogan & traded for bennett as secondary pass catchers in 2016. They won a SB and scored 30+ PPG in the playoffs with gronk on IR.

Despite having gronk, edelman, amendola & mitchell bill traded a first round pick for cooks in 2017. They went to a SB & tom passed for 500+ yards with edelman on IR.

The notion the pats didn’t prioritize weapons during their superbowl runs is not true. There isn’t one player from 2019-present who would be a top two receiving option on the 2007-2018 pats.

It’s easier to deny your QB shiny toys when he isn’t the GOAT with real leverage.

Also how are we unable to pay for an elite offensive weapon when our QB is on a rookie contract?

 

[crawhammer]

Hopkins wasn't thrilled to reunite with BoB

Agree, probably true. Makes you question his sincerity with the visit.

that he views tannehill as a better option at QB than Mac...

Maybe but I don't see this as a probably main factor because Tannehill isn't a quarterback that an elite receiver would want to play with.

Tennessee has a weaker wr room than New England... if I read pfr correctly they didn't have a single receiver top 600 yards ... Yikes ... He immediately becomes the number 1 option there... Better for him...

Agree on the weaker WR room part but all receivers are better off with a legitimate guy on the other side of the field. See Hill and Waddle, Chase and Higgins, A.J. and DeVonta, Deebo and Aiyuk, etc.

while I think Hopkins would have been great here, he's not randy moss redux... So that lessens the sting a bit for me...

Randy Moss in 2007 was possibly the best single season ever for a WR, so yeah, pretty much no one is living up to that.

To be honest I wish BB didn't let Meyers walk... I'd rather still have him on the roster than most of the guys we got... But we have neither, and no one else is coming... Gut check time for our 2023 wr corps... They will make or break this offense ...

Agree. I'll add that not signing Hopkins keeps the pressure high on Mac Jones. Yes, O'Brien will favorably influence Mac but he's being expected to improve a lot with arguably the same caliber WR corps he had last season.

 

[BB8XSBW]

Despite having gronk, edelman & amendola bill signed hogan & traded for bennett as secondary pass catchers in 2016. They won a SB and scored 30+ PPG in the playoffs with gronk on IR.

Despite having gronk, edelman, amendola & mitchell bill traded a first round pick for cooks in 2017. They went to a SB & tom passed for 500+ yards with edelman on IR.

The notion the pats didn’t prioritize weapons during their superbowl runs is not true. There isn’t one player from 2019-present who would be a top two receiving option on the 2007-2018 pats.

They aren't ignoring weapons now, either. Before they had weapons at WR and TE. Now their weapon is the GOAT in my profile pic. That's the nature of the game today. So long as you've got an elite QB like Mac (and surround him with a real OC) you are a Super Bowl contender.

Tell you what - just sit down, be quiet, and let those with 8 rings take care of building the team. We got ourselves a deal there, chief?

 

[patfanken]

2023 is all about Mac Jones, not what Hopkins could have added... Mac needs to win games this year, not "just be better" than his rookie year and the Catch-'22 "lost" season...

I agree with your first comment. This year IS going to be "all about Mac", at least in the eyes of the fans and media. But the 2nd part is once again LUDICROUS. The PATS win games, not individual players. This is the kind of loose thinking that propels this myth along. Mac is NOT going to win or lose games by himself.....nor will he ever.

All he can do IS be "better" as an individual and hope that that effort along with EVERYONE else's translates into wins. This year is all about whether Mac will be an improved version of 2021 or more of what we saw in 2022. It's about whether we have a young QB that will CONTINUE to get better, or whether we have to start all over at the position.

I like to think I know which, but unlike so many of you, I know its only a guess. Which is why watching it all unfold is so compelling.

As for my opinion on Hopkins to Tennessee, I think the reason is clear. You just DON'T put bacon in a vegetarian's clam chowder. But seriously, it was about the money and how much was guaranteed and how much was incentives. This is going to be his last shot at even a mid level WR contract.

BTW- one aspect of this chase kind of makes me go hmmm. Where were the LEGITIMATE offers from some of the obvious contenders. On the surface Hopkins would seem like the PERFECT addition to a serious contender. Why then wasn't there more buzz from that group. Why was it that the only 2 "serious" offers came from low level playoff contenders and only one with serious guaranteed money. It can't be about his on field production, because that SEEMS to be still at a high level. What is it about Hopkins that kept his market so narrow?

 

[javajunky]

The Titans are stupid. If they were willing to pay him all this jack, they should have traded for him and avoided all the new guarantees in his contract.

 

[Pape]

Agree, probably true. Makes you question his sincerity with the visit.

Money. Pure and simple. ONe team? They can dictate terms/take a harder line. Two teams? Different tactics are needed.

Maybe but I don't see this as a probably main factor because Tannehill isn't a quarterback that an elite receiver would want to play with.

read into that what you will regarding my stance on Mac

Agree on the weaker WR room part but all receivers are better off with a legitimate guy on the other side of the field. See Hill and Waddle, Chase and Higgins, A.J. and DeVonta, Deebo and Aiyuk, etc.

i think he's going to get a bit of a break/boost because of King Henry being there... he is and probably will be the driving force of that offense

Randy Moss in 2007 was possibly the best single season ever for a WR, so yeah, pretty much no one is living up to that.

agreed

Agree. I'll add that not signing Hopkins keeps the pressure high on Mac Jones. Yes, O'Brien will favorably influence Mac but he's being expected to improve a lot with arguably the same caliber WR corps he had last season.

Bourne seems to be all in... I am hoping that he has a rebound season this year after last years craptastic display of whatever that was between him and MP... I still have high hopes for Thornton... JJSS ive never liked so meh... Parker is too hot/cold for my taste... great one game, disappears the next... Macs got to step up though. Time to win games not moral victories.

 

[Steve102]

I get that a lot of folks are disappointed they didn't sign him. Unfortunately, the player did not represent the kind of risk/reward that Bill typically ponies up for. No one here is 100% sure that D-Hop is still the player that he once was, @RobertWeathers pointed out the amount of games he's missed earlier in the thread. I think it's far from a slam dunk that he's "the guy". He could be the guy, but the "could be" factor means that he could be a very expensive failure as well. This is the kind of player that would have been signed like Mohammed Sanu, in a effort to have the final pieces in place for a championship run or an extension of a championship run. I don't think they are there yet, and I am not sure that D-Hop represents the kind of risk that needs to be taken on this team, at this time.

We all know that everyone will be screaming for blood if he goes to Tennessee and lights it up. What's more likely, that he has a Randy Moss type of renaissance at this stage of his career, or he's a solid but unspectacular addition to Tennessee's WR corps?

 

[crawhammer]

I don’t recall the last time the Patriots ever outbid another team for a player…

They have, sometimes they just did it with the wrong players... you don't have to think back that far - offseason prior to 2021 - Jonnu Smith and Nelson Agholor being the most obvious.

 

[notex]

I think he would have been a good fit in offense, but not sure it was best player to be spending big on at this point of his career.

100% would have made us better... im sure BB wasn't completely thrilled with fact that he doesnt love to practice.

 

[crawhammer]

We all know that everyone will be screaming for blood if he goes to Tennessee and lights it up. What's more likely, that he has a Randy Moss type of renaissance at this stage of his career, or he's a solid but unspectacular addition to Tennessee's WR corps?

Solid but unspectacular addition is likely the outcome but he has Tannehill while Moss had Brady. Tannehill by the way has got to be giddy over this signing because even a solid boost to their 32nd ranked passing game is significant. Hopkins would have improved our WR corps, made life easier for Mac, and helped to improve our offense... this seems undeniable to me.

 

[PatsFan2]

It's quite obvious the Patriots don't have the allure anymore we have to build that back up. Also this scenario shows we are really hoping T Thornton make that jump tall order here but there's hope.