Titans "More Aggressive" than Patriots For Hopkins

[SlowGettingUp]

Pats negotiating style - make an offer, let the player explore the market and then come back with his best offer to beat:

Why the Patriots aren’t being aggressive in their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Tennessee Titans have been more aggressive than the New England Patriots in their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins. Here’s why this might be the case.

www.audacy.com

 

[TheRainMaker]

To me, it's a red flag he's just waiting until training camp so he can get paid and show up. Also, only two teams are interested? The lack of interest was a major red flag for me early on. Bill doesn't strike me as someone that will be waiting for Hopkins call, but puts a deadline on it and moves on. Hopkins should've already signed and getting acclimated with the new team so he can make the transition smoothly when camp starts.

 

[Steve102]

To me, it's a red flag he's just waiting until training camp so he can get paid and show up. Also, only two teams are interested? The lack of interest was a major red flag for me early on. Bill doesn't strike me as someone that will be waiting for Hopkins call, but puts a deadline on it and moves on. Hopkins should've already signed and getting acclimated with the new team so he can make the transition smoothly when camp starts.

I look at it as the decision has been made by all parties involved, otherwise the free agent tour would continue.

 

[All3Phases]

I agree with them on this one, they clearly don’t really want the player and I don’t blame them. Seems like this is a case that if he’ll accept a team friendly offer they’re ok with it. He’s not a guy I extend myself for imo

 

[Ross12]

To me, it's a red flag he's just waiting until training camp so he can get paid and show up. Also, only two teams are interested? The lack of interest was a major red flag for me early on. Bill doesn't strike me as someone that will be waiting for Hopkins call, but puts a deadline on it and moves on. Hopkins should've already signed and getting acclimated with the new team so he can make the transition smoothly when camp starts.

There aren't any team activities going on until camp, so there's not really a big incentive to sign til then. He already knows BOB's general offensive philosophy so it's not like he needs to get deep into the playbook mentally before camp. What would he do, have a throwing session in Mac's backyard? It doesn't really seem like a big deal. He's doing his own thing during the last true quiet period of the year before camp opens and the NFL grind truly starts, at which time he'll sign and report. In the interim maybe another team will give him a buzz and increase his market a bit. Probably not, but could happen.

 

[50-yard-line]

What Ross said. There is no hint of anything any way at all here, but hey, there's not much to talk about for another couple of weeks.
Hopkins has his offers. There's no reason at all for him to make a choice now when someone might lose their top receiver to a pick-up basketball game tomorrow and throw more money at him.

Pretty sure Hopkins knows his choice if nothing else comes rolling down the line. He's risking nothing by waiting until the start of camp, at least.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Lombardi somewhat lukewarm on Hopkins here - there is not a good record for aging receivers - cites Decker and Demaryius Thomas.
Says Titans need him more than the Pats so they might be willing to stretch some:

 

[crawhammer]

My advice to Hopkins is sign with Kansas City, Buffalo, or Baltimore. He makes any of those three teams a Super Bowl favorite. He'll have to take less money on a one-year deal but if all goes well then he can cash in next offseason when perhaps there's a wider market for his services. Tennessee is a complete waste of his time and talent. I'd love to see him in a Patriots uniform but it's not a great move for his production (given the QB situation). I'm surprised he's not getting more interest.

This is what Hopkins said...

"What I want is stable management upstairs. I think that's something that I haven't really had the past couple years of my career coming from Houston to being in Arizona. I've been through three to four GMs in my career. A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board with him, pushes not just himself but people around him. I don't need a great QB – I've done it with subpar QBs – just a QB who loves the game like I do. And a great defense."

Mac fits the not great part but I'm not sure he possesses the intense leadership Hopkins is looking for. I see that kind of leadership in Josh Allen. Otherwise the Patriots sort of match what he's looking for... the defense will be top 10 if not great but Hopkins would be a major boost to the offense so top 10 probably would be good enough for them to be a competitive team. Without Hopkins, the offense looks meh so the defense will have to be Great.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

OR

Why the Patriots aren’t being aggressive in their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins

Belichick is known to bargain with players on their contracts in such a way that he’ll make an offer, allow them to test their worth on the open market, and then arrange for them to come back to the Patriots to get their “best and final”. Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty, and Julian Edelman are just a few to have done this with Bill during their time in New England.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

He’s waiting to try TN’s clam chowder before he decides

 

[Rob0729]

Lombardi somewhat lukewarm on Hopkins here - there is not a good record for aging receivers - cites Decker and Demaryius Thomas.
Says Titans need him more than the Pats so they might be willing to stretch some:

I don't know if Decker and Thomas are good comps. Decker had a major injury in his second to last year which could have sped up the end of his career. Thomas was more of a down field threat than Hopkins and age could have affected him faster.

Julio Jones was still elite at 30 and was elite until he got injured at 31. He went down hill after that because he couldn't stay on the field. Emanuel Sanders was effective until his mid 30s. I know it is a different position, but Travis Kelce was 32 last year. DaVante Adams turned 30 last year. Antonio Brown was 31 when he came here and was still in elite form even if he was a head case and washed out right away.

You are taking a risk with a WR north of 30, but the money won't be that much and it isn't like the Pats are passing on a young WR tons of upside to sign Hopkins instead.

 

[Uptown]

Hate to say it, but I don’t think he’s coming here..

 

[SlowGettingUp]

I don't know if Decker and Thomas are good comps. Decker had a major injury in his second to last year which could have sped up the end of his career. Thomas was more of a down field threat than Hopkins and age could have affected him faster.

Julio Jones was still elite at 30 and was elite until he got injured at 31. He went down hill after that because he couldn't stay on the field. Emanuel Sanders was effective until his mid 30s. I know it is a different position, but Travis Kelce was 32 last year. DaVante Adams turned 30 last year. Antonio Brown was 31 when he came here and was still in elite form even if he was a head case and washed out right away.

You are taking a risk with a WR north of 30, but the money won't be that much and it isn't like the Pats are passing on a young WR tons of upside to sign Hopkins instead.

Hopkins wins with route running, elite body control plus hands, and all-round savvy, rather than speed. Those are all traits that decay a lot slower than do the burners. So I agree with you, although Lombardi seems to be generally clued-in on how the Patriots view guys.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

This is what Hopkins said...

"What I want is stable management upstairs. I think that's something that I haven't really had the past couple years of my career coming from Houston to being in Arizona. I've been through three to four GMs in my career. A QB who loves the game, a QB who brings everybody on board with him, pushes not just himself but people around him. I don't need a great QB – I've done it with subpar QBs – just a QB who loves the game like I do. And a great defense."

Let's say you were trying to produce a plausible-sounding want-list that exactly fits the Patriots. Could you do any better than that statement of his?

Stable management - check
A non-great QB that loves the game and pushes himself and others hard - check
A great defense - check

 

[crawhammer]

Let's say you were trying to produce a plausible-sounding want-list that exactly fits the Patriots. Could you do any better than that statement of his?

Stable management - check
A non-great QB that loves the game and pushes himself and others hard - check
A great defense - check

He would have signed a contract by now with the Patriots if all those boxes were checked for him. He's obviously holding out for what he would consider to be a better opportunity. And/or he's deciding if he wants to ring chase for one season with a definite contender like the Chiefs or Bills. Or too the Chiefs may be creating space to sign him to a legitimate contract, which would be a nightmare for the rest of the NFL.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

He would have signed a contract by now with the Patriots if all those boxes were checked for him.

Except if what he got from the Patriots was: "Here's a proposed contract. Feel free to see if anyone can beat it, but please get back to us to give us the opportunity to counter if you get a better offer."

I still think the threat of having to appear on Hard Knocks if they don't make the playoffs will concentrate Belichick's mind enough to sign Hopkins.

 

[bigballas]

OR

Why the Patriots aren’t being aggressive in their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins

"Belichick is known to bargain with players on their contracts in such a way that he’ll make an offer, allow them to test their worth on the open market, and then arrange for them to come back to the Patriots to get their “best and final”. Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty, and Julian Edelman are just a few to have done this with Bill during their time in New England."

yeah, thats not the same. those 3 used as an example for Belichicks "bargaining" style were all players drafted by the Patriots and whom had grown accustomed to what we had here and wanted to stay hence the "go see what the market says" and let us know.

now, im sure any contract negotiation/agent will take their best offer and shop it around, but i wouldn't call that a good example of Bill's negotiating prowess

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I'm all Judy-Collins-Both-Sides-Now about Hopkins. At first I was like please, please don't bankrupt the team for this "true number 1" fantasy. Then when the interest picked up on both sides, I was like "Hell YES add another proven & sometimes explosive receiver." Now I'm just waiting for the answer so I can write the narrative in my head, in unrhymed dactyllic hexameter of course, because I am a homer.

This thread feels yucky because of the unresolved nature of the subject. To me it's proof that we'll pay OUR price, but not overpay, by OUR lights. I mean, there aren't many rules you can point to in all this, and I am sure a lot comes down to instinct... but that discipline is a consistent feature of the Pats' approach. We've done okay with it.

I still look at it as, how much better is everybody if the O-Line gels/improves over last season?

How much is the O-line a feature of pure athletic talent, vs. competent O-line coaching?

Not even asking the same question for the so-called skill players. I see reasons to believe in every one of them, minus the decrements introduced by the weird-azz makeover year. The running backs, who were supposed to benefit from the whole time-burning, misbegotten outside zone blocking scheme, might even improve on pure being left alone to work in a competent system,.. and they're good already.

What if Mac Jones isn't a schmuck?
What if Tyquan Thornton isn't just a 40 time? (He wasn't in pre-season... he outshone the vets before that collarbone injury)
What if Parker is worth that 11m/Y APY contract... in other words, what if he was underutilized?
What if Geisicki is better than Jonnu, spoiler alert, I have things growing in my fridge that are better than Jonnu.

NONE of these seem like they'll decline (famous last words).

The one I do worry about is, what if Myers was the go-to guy because he was good, and plugging in JuJu doesn't work like it looks like it will on paper? (Answer in my own head: We have this Kendrick Bourne guy too.)

Everybody likes to hear "Great new player you're really addressing a need blah blah blah." I am still in the "WTF was THAT camp" about 2022, and I am not sure how much of that to put on the coaches. My homer side says, as a pack of whelps descends on a monstrous fat ogre with an untamed beard--they have freed the brave Achilles to hurl the javelin freely!--so did the media pressure run Patricia out of town, freeing Mac Jones to throw for an additional thousand yards.

But it's always possible that Mac was a punk about it because at heart Mac is a punk, that the team quit on the coaches and we just lapped up the "incompetent coaches" narrative, etc.

Conclusion: Is it September yet?

 

[slash83]

I think KC creates cap soon as jumps in for Hop, just a gut feeling it’s gonna go down that way. The longer this plays out the less likely he ends up in NE or Tenn.

 

[Love The Drake]

I really want to see Boutte work his boutte off and tap into the potential.
I prefer to have younger players at the skill positions.
With our luck Deandre becomes an old man by week 4 if he a Patriot.
If he’s a Chief he’s a perennial pro bowler til he retires.