Patriots’ Matt Judon Makes Recruitment Pitch To 3x All-Pro

The New England Patriots seek strong players who can replace the stars who left early in the offseason. Head coach Bill Belichick is expected to make some big moves ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft and his players aren’t wasting their time either. Matt Judon has just recruited three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, sparking a big debate in the NFL world.

Is Hopkins on his way to New England?

The star wide receiver seems to have issues with the Arizona Cardinals and Judon used the opportunity to grab his attention. The Patriots star shared a photo of him and Hopkins and a Wrestle Mania GIF of Randy Savage.

pic.twitter.com/vLWHoYXST6

— Matthew Judon (@man_dammn) April 3, 2023

Jeff Howe from The Athletic discussed the Patriots’ chance to get Hopkins.

“With a new Cardinals regime, headed by GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon, rival teams know Hopkins would be a salary dump, which significantly reduces his trade value,” Howe wrote in March. “That’s why teams like the Patriots, who had an early conversation with the Cardinals, don’t plan to pursue him unless there’s a substantial change in philosophy, according to a league source.”

Matt Judon won’t give up on the All-Pro player

Patriots need strong players, but Hopkins may not be a target. Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated mentioned the topic on the “Greg Bedard Podcast” a week ago.

The Patriots don’t have enough money to get Hopkins. They have $11.8 million and the Cardinals need more than that.

HOP CAUGHT IT!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/lyAG9gWYPn

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 16, 2020

“I think for a team like the Patriots, it would either be no draft-pick compensation or way, way, way down from Arizona’s initial ask, and an adjustment to the contract,” Breer said. “And that obviously gives Hopkins considerable control over the situation, because if you’re going to change the contract, then you have to go to him.”

“So I think this is a really, really complicated one, and [the Patriots] haven’t shown great interest. They haven’t really been in it to this point. Like, if his market collapsed completely and he was cut or he was available for almost nothing and is willing to redo his contract, maybe we’re talking about something else.”