What we know about DeAndre Hopkins’ visit with the New England Patriots

FOXBORO — According to all accounts, DeAndre Hopkins and the Patriots had a productive meeting in Foxboro. That visit, however, did not result in the All Pro wide receiver signing with New England.

After working out for the Patriots and chatting with New England players and the front office on Thursday — which included a lot of 1-on1 time with Bill Belichick — Hopkins and the Pats will now “take some time” to assess their next steps, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler added that Hopkins is in no rush to sign with a team and may wait until close to the start of training camp to make his decision.

That could potentially mean that Hopkins liked what the Patriots have to offer on the field, but he wasn’t blown away by what the team is willing to offer in the way of a contract. He doesn’t have any other free agent visits scheduled at the moment, and the only other team he met with was the Tennessee Titans last weekend. The Pats have more cap space than the Titans this summer, so if money remains a big factor for the receiver, New England should have the inside track to sign Hopkins.

But for now, the waiting game will continue for the Patriots. Many New England fans were hoping that the team wouldn’t let Hopkins leave the building without a contract, but it sounds like the receiver is leaving all of his options open until closer to training camp.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, “there’s still a level of optimism the two sides could reach an agreement.”  And based on a post by Hopkins to his Instagram account, he very much liked being in the New England locker room and meeting with Patriots players on Thursday. Late in the afternoon, Hopkins posted a picture of himself and Pats edge rusher Matthew Judon, captioned “La Familia.”

Will it ultimately result in Hopkins donning a Patriots uniform in 2023? That remains unknown, and we may not know for sure for another six weeks.

Hopkins would certainly add a lot more firepower to the New England offense, giving Mac Jones a top-end pass-catcher and bolstering a wide receiving corps. The Patriots have made their pitch, and now the ball is in Hopkins’ court.