The Patriots swung and missed on bringing DeAndre Hopkins in as a player during Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach, but it looks like Mike Vrabel might be someone who may ultimately lure him to Foxboro in a different capacity.
Vrabel revealed during his press conference on Friday that the free agent receiver is apparently pondering joining the coaching ranks, which could finally see him become part of the organization after all.
“The way that you play the game at receiver, there’s a lot of different skill sets, a lot of different play styles. DeAndre Hopkins is here with us kind of in a ‘just to kind of check things out’ as far as what he wants to do as far as coaching,” said Vrabel. “And you’ll see him on the field, and whether that’s personnel … And so I use him as an example because he wasn’t the fastest receiver, but he had an unbelievable play style and a play strength and a route craft that allowed him to succeed.”
When asked how the situation came about, Vrabel explained that Hopkins expressed an interest, so he did the legwork with the league to make it happen.
“He asked if he could come hang out for a couple of days and be around the coaches and be around the personnel department,” said Vrabel. “And I called the league and made sure that that was going to be okay. And then I invited him back, and that’s where he’s been the last couple of days, and he’ll be here for the next couple of days.”
Hopkins visited the team back in June of 2023, with many thinking he might finally land in a Patriots uniform. Belichick had developed a good relationship with Hopkins over the years, but it was ultimately the Titans who won out for his services that offseason.
The veteran receiver went on to lead Tennessee’s receivers in 2023 with 75 receptions for 1,057 yards and 7 touchdowns, while the Patriots saw Demario Douglas finish with a team-best 561 yards receiving on 49 receptions. Hunter Henry was next with 419 receiving yards during what proved to be Belichick’s final season in New England following a disappointing 4-13 finish.
Unfortunately, the Titans also didn’t fare well. Vrabel’s team finished 6-11 that season, and Vrabel was fired. That move did open the door to set up a return for Vrabel in New England, with the first-year Patriots coach also leading his club to a Super Bowl appearance in 2025. He also got a bit of revenge when he faced the Titans last season in what turned out to be a 31-13 rout in Tennessee.
So far, after plenty of success and a productive offseason, the outlook for 2026 is also seemingly bright for his football team. Now it looks like Vrabel and Hopkins may potentially become colleagues, reuniting the two ahead of this season.
Even better, it would also give the Patriots’ young receiving group a solid mentor given Hopkins’ past success as a former player moving forward.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
