New report reveals promising details for Patriots in crucial DeAndre Hopkins frenzy
According to ESPN's Field Yates, the New England Patriots' recent contract extension with DeVante Parker creates about $2.4M in cap space. With the Patriots being in an intense battle to sign free agent DeAndre Hopkins that may dictate the future of longtime head coach Bill Belichick, more money could not come at a better time.
Hopkins' importance to New England cannot be overstated. Tensions between owner Robert Kraft and Belichick have been growing, according to NBC Sports. If Belichick does not win a playoff game in 2023, a feat Kraft has made clear he would like to see, then those tensions could reach a previously unfathomable point that would put New England's legendary coach out of a job.
Seeing as the Patriots featured one of the best defenses in the league last season, the solution to their lack of success is simple: fix the offense. New England has already committed to that solution this offseason, adding OC Bill O'Brien, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and TE Mike Gesicki, but the offense still lacks a true star to push the team to playoff victory. That is where Hopkins enters the picture.
Hopkins has been mulling contract offers from the Tennessee Titans and Patriots for nearly two weeks now, which either indicates that he is taking a long time to decide between the likely similar offers set forth by the Titans and Patriots, or that he is stalling in hopes that more teams will enter the mix with more enticing proposals.
If the Patriots want to establish themselves as Hopkins' certain favorites, they will need to sprinkle more money into their current offer. With the new cash created by extending Parker, New England now have the funds to do so without tapping into their preexisting cap space.
Although New England has not been big spenders in the last two offseasons, Kraft's recent comments indicate that the Patriots may be headed towards a more extravagant approach when it comes to signing players. New England can start embracing that process now by giving Hopkins an offer he can't refuse.
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