Patriots Linked to Chiefs Former All-Pro WR

The New England Patriots have been linked to an intriguing Kansas City Chiefs former All-Pro free agent wide receiver.

Dec 8, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) celebrates after scoring against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have found their new head coach and they're set to head into the upcoming NFL offseason with a chance to take a huge step in the right direction.

Loaded with cap space and excellent draft capital, the Patriots' front office and Mike Vrabel are equipped well to bring in impact talent. With the right moves, they could make some noise as a sleeper playoff contender in 2025.

One areas that New England is widely expected to address is wide receiver. Bringing in a legitimate top target for Drake Maye should be very close to the top of the list of things to do.

While names like Tee Higgins and Travis Hunter have been thrown around, there's a chance that the Patriots will miss on both of those potential targets. If they do, who else could they pursue?

Brian Hines of Pats Pulpit has suggested that Kansas City Chiefs impending free agent and former All-Pro wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, could make sense as an option in free agency.

"The Patriots wide receiver room is expected to be remodeled yet again this offseason," Hines wrote. "If they miss out on some of the top options, perhaps they fall back to Hopkins, who played with Vrabel in Tennessee. Hopkins is clearly not the player he once was (although should recover from a lingering knee injury this offseason) but would raise the floor of the room and provide them with the veteran presence they desperately need."

Throughout the course of the 2024 NFL regular season split between the Chiefs and Tennessee Titans, Hopkins caught 56 passes for 610 yards and five touchdowns. He's still capable of making an impact at 32-years-old.

Granted, the Patriots would much prefer finding a younger option who Maye could develop with for years to come. However, if they strike out on some of the younger options, Hopkins could improve the offense for the next year or two as New England looks to bring in other younger talent.

A veteran wideout could do Maye a lot of good as well.

Hopkins will definitely be a name to keep an eye on this offseason. He could simply re-sign with Kansas City or there will be plenty of other teams interested in him on a short-term deal.

However, from an opportunity, money, and role perspective, the Patriots could offer him a very nice deal.

Expect to hear a lot of rumors surrounding New England and wide receivers. There are quite a few free agent wideouts available and some will be available on the trade market as well.

It seems very likely that the Patriots will end up landing one, and Hopkins could be a fit.

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