When it was reported in January that the Cardinals could be looking to trade DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, many Patriots fans seemed to get their hopes high that their team might land the All-Pro receiver.
They might want to be cautious with their optimism, though. It would be a “long shot” for the Patriots to land Hopkins in a trade this offseason due to his relationship with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Friday. Hopkins played under O’Brien for six seasons when the latter was the head coach of the Texans until the receiver was traded in 2020 as he fell out of favor with O’Brien, according to Howe.