FOXBORO — Bill Belichick confirmed the Patriots have been in contact with free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, but expressed uncertainty about the timing and logistics of his reported upcoming visit Monday.
“We’re working through it, so I don’t really have anything to add to that,” Belichick said in a morning press conference.
Last week, the NFL Network reported Hopkins would visit New England. The three-time All-Pro spent Monday in Tennessee, where the Titans hosted him on his first visit since being released by the Cardinals. Arizona shopped Hopkins in the spring, but failed to find a trade partner willing to surrender assets and absorb more than $19 million in base salary.
The Cardinals cut him in late May and swallowed a $22.6 million cap hit as they start a rebuild under a new head coach and general manager.
The Patriots are expected to welcome Hopkins on Monday night, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“I think it relates more to logistics, things like that. I’m not really a travel agent here. I’m not going to say it’s going to happen here or not going to happen,” Belichick said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on that I’m not directly involved in, so I’m not going to say anything.”
The Chiefs and Bills reportedly expressed interest in Hopkins, but were scared off his asking price and invested their spare cap room into other players. The Patriots currently hold more than $14.2 million in cap space, 14th-most in the NFL.
