Patriots may have to 'compromise' to sign All-Pro WR

Yet another individual with inside knowledge of the New England Patriots suggested the club hasn't yet signed free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in part because of Hopkins' alleged desired practice schedule. 

Former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia told Karen Guregian of MassLive that head coach Bill Belichick "would probably prefer that the guy goes out there and practices every day" as it pertains to acquiring Hopkins. 

"If a guy only wants to practice once a week, and if you’re willing to take that on, you’ll take it on," Scarnecchia continued. "It’s not the best situation in the world. I think we all believe guys need to be out there with their teammates, doing everything they can to make the team better. If a guy is unwilling to practice, because it’s too much of a load for whatever the problems are, you modify things, and get through it." 

Patriots insider Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston indicated last week that he heard at least some people within the Patriots were "wary, to an extent, of the culture fit" regarding potentially signing Hopkins. Curran mentioned questions about how much Hopkins would or wouldn't practice under Belichick, and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote Monday that "practicing every day is believed to be something" the three-time first-team All-Pro "isn’t thrilled about doing." 

As for Scarnecchia, Mike D'Abate of FanNation's Patriots Country pointed out that the long-time assistant earned five Super Bowl rings while on Belichick’s staff and a sixth serving as a consultant for the team that defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLIX in Feb. 2015. 

"I think there could be room for compromise, and as I said, that’s something that has to be discussed now, rather than later," Scarnecchia added. "It has to be done and agreed to where everyone is on the same page. Because if you don’t want to take it on, then, 'Oh God, here it comes.' All of a sudden during training camp, you’re trying to deal with that. That’s never any good."

Hopkins reportedly is "not in a major rush" to sign with any team, and Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote for a piece published Monday that "there would be some benefit to Hopkins waiting until closer to training camp to sign" as he looks to earn as much money as possible via a short-term deal he could secure from an advertised contender such as the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Scarnecchia thinks Hopkins and Belichick "came to some kind of understanding" about a practice schedule during discussions held last week, but the fact that the 31-year-old remains available to sign with any team causes one to assume Belichick won't necessarily lose sleep if the veteran chooses a different suitor this summer.