Patriots executive confirms interest in four-time Pro Bowler

After wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins signed with the Titans instead of the Patriots, will New England shift its focus to adding running back Dalvin Cook?

"We talked to DeAndre Hopkins; that's well-known," Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh said during a Wednesday news conference. "We explore as many options as we can, and Dalvin's another player."

Even though Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson broke out last season, rushing for 1,040 yards in 17 games, Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler, would give the Patriots offense a boost. In 17 games last season, he was sixth in the league in rushing yards (1,173). 

While the Patriots recently worked out RB Leonard Fournette—a former Super Bowl champion—Cook is the better option. Fournette only rushed for 668 yards in 17 games with Tampa Bay last season.

It's rare for a star player, such as Cook, to remain a free agent at this point, so Groh and the Patriots will keep an eye on the 27-year-old.

"You typically don't have players of this caliber available at this time," Groh said of Cook. "Usually, these are all minimum [salary] guys, so this is a unique situation. And in any unique situation, I think everybody evaluates and looks at it."

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Cook wants a deal close to $10.4M. The Patriots can foot the bill. They have $13.2M in cap space, via Spotrac. Also, New England doesn't want him to land with a divisional rival.

"That's a high percentage for my landing spot," Cook said of AFC East suitors Monday on "The Rich Eisen Show." "I think those teams have shown a lot of interest in picking me up and having me join their team."

New England doesn't want to miss out on another big free agent. It should be proactive and try to sign Cook.