Bill Belichick Nixed DeAndre Hopkins Scenario For Key Reason

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots won’t have DeAndre Hopkins on their squad for the 2023 NFL season. The star wide receiver eyed the Patriots as a potential landing spot and really liked the organization, but decided to sign with the Tennessee Titans.

DeAndre Hopkins is signing with the Tennessee Titans. pic.twitter.com/9saGZjkeSn

— Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) July 16, 2023

Well, if you ask Mike Florio from NBC Sports, he will say that Belichick had a really big reason for not getting Hopkins. Florio is convinced that Belichick would’ve signed Hopkins if he wanted to.

“I’ve always wondered whether or not Bill Belichick was just kind of half-hearted in the pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins anyway because the way he’s handled his business in the past, he goes quiet, he goes secret, he goes stealth mode, and then he gets the guy,” Florio said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday, July 17. “And we didn’t even know he wanted him until he got him.

“I always thought it was odd with Hopkins that it was so well known that the Patriots were interested. I really have wondered ‘is this a guy that Belichick, kind of deep down, didn’t want’. And it goes back to the whole culture fit, that I’m sure you guys have talked about, and the practice aversion that Hopkins reportedly has.”

Belichick didn’t want Hopkins

This makes sense on so many levels. Phil Perry from NBC Sports Boston said that Hopkins doesn’t match the Patriots culture, citing league sources. There’s something about Hopkins that doesn’t make him a natural fit for the Patriots.

“I feel like if Bill really wanted [Hopkins], he would have gotten him, and we wouldn’t have even known he was chasing him,” Florio concluded.

New England had a $17.74 million in cap space, meaning money was never a problem for them. Hopkins signed a two-year deal worth $26 million with the Titans.

One thing stands for sure. Belichick has a better plan for his WR spot. The Patriots have a few great players at this position and they can always add a few more.