Would DeAndre Hopkins Want to Play in New England? His Former Coach Says Absolutely
PHOENIX -- Super Bowl LVII is here in the great state of Arizona, yet the Cardinals are mere bystanders to festivities while the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs take center stage.
The Cardinals, though, have been at the forefront of headlines for most of the 2022 season for various reasons. Their reported intentions to trade DeAndre Hopkins again put them front and center of discussions around the league just a few weeks ago.
New general manager Monti Ossenfort reportedly met with Hopkins late last week, but nothing has emerged since.
Hopkins' former wide receivers coach John Perry believes the 30-year-old pass catcher would love to play for New England Patriots OC Bill O'Brien, who just hired on as that role and previously coached Hopkins as his head coach during their stint with the Houston Texans.
“I think adult relationships are always complicated no matter what you do. But the thing is when you look at DeAndre Hopkins and his relationship with Coach O’Brien, both of them brought out the best in each other,” Perry told MassLive's Mark Daniels.
“I still have a strong relationship with coach (O’Brien) and with DeAndre. He and I speak all the time.
“I know they would easily be able to work together again because they’re both professionals and both want the same thing, which is just to play at a high level and give their team the best opportunity to win.”
The Texans ultimately failed to meet nearly all expectations under O'Brien's regime, which helped play a role in getting Hopkins out of the picture and into a Cardinals uniform.
Perry says despite how their time unfolded in Houston, the two could easily get back on the same page.
“I would bet his relationship with Hopkins was similar to his relationship with Tom Brady when he was there,” Perry said. “When you’re dealing with the elite players, you just have a great respect for each other and you see that. And I know that exists between those two.”
Hopkins reportedly listed the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers as his preferred destinations. He also - reportedly - has a no-trade clause in his contract, which will see him dictate where he wants to continue his playing career.
Time will tell if Hopkins is even put on the block, but there seems to be some reasons to believe New England would be in play.
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