If Tom Brady chooses to stay with the New England Patriots, he'll want better offensive weapons.
How about a three-time first-team All-Pro?
In his "Football Morning in America" column Monday morning, NBC Sports' Peter King floated the very enticing idea that the Houston Texans may look into trading star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
It might be just pre-draft chatter, but two teams over the weekend told me to watch Houston and DeAndre Hopkins, who has three years and a reasonable $40 million left on his contract, and who’d cause only a $3-million cap hit to the Texans if they traded him.
As King points out, the Texans have very little draft capital and holes elsewhere on the roster. Guess which team has 12 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, second-most in the league behind the Miami Dolphins?
The Patriots would be a "fascinating match" for Hopkins, King writes, if they part with their No. 23 overall pick in a potential deal.
Hopkins' résumé speaks for itself: He's missed just two games in his NFL career and has tallied at least 96 receptions and 1,100 yards in four of the last five seasons.
New England Patriots
New England reportedly is in the market for pass-catchers after lacking consistency at wide receiver and tight end last season. As NFL analyst Albert Breer mentioned last week on NBC Sports Boston's "Boston Sports Tonight," Houston could be one of the first clubs Bill Belichick calls, as Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is a former Patriots assistant.
The Hopkins trade rumors sound like just rumblings at the moment. But if the chatter grows louder, the Patriots likely would be very interested in pairing Hopkins with Julian Edelman for a lethal wideout duo.
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