How does DeAndre Hopkins’ Patriots show compare to the Titans?

Brier: How DeAndre Hopkins’ Patriots show compared to the Titans appeared in the original NBC Sports Boston

Why did DeAndre Hopkins sign with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday instead of joining the New England Patriots? One word: money.

The free agent wide receiver has agreed to a two-year contract with the Titans worth $26 million in base salary and a maximum of $32 million if he reaches certain incentives, According to the NFL’s Ian Rapoport. Hopkins will earn a base salary of $12 million in 2023 with an opportunity to receive $15 million through incentives.

The Patriots were also interested in Hopkins, who had only visited New England and Tennessee in free agency after his release from the Arizona Cardinals. According to Albert Brier of Sports Illustrated, the Patriots were not willing to move forward with the five-time Pro Bowler’s contract offer.

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Brier explained on NBC Sports Boston’s Show Sunday Sports. “My understanding is that the maximum offer (the Patriots) was $15 million for this year – so they matched what the Titans did this year – but a much higher proportion of it was in incentives.

While the Titans had a $12 million base (salary), and $3 million in incentives, the Patriots’ offer was structured somewhat like the Chiefs’ offer going back to pre-draft. The Chiefs’ offer at the time was a $4 million base with a chance of realization. Up to 10 (million) dollars.

“So, they were willing to give (Hopkins) the maximum that the Titans gave, but they were going to make it much more difficult for him to get there.”

Breer’s information may be frustrating for Patriots fans to hear, considering New England has the cap space (Over $17 million as of July 16th) to pay Hopkins the basic salary he wants. As Phil Perry pointed out, Hopkins could have given the Patriots’ offense the boost it needed after a lackluster campaign in 2022.

But Perry also noted that Bill Belichick and his staff didn’t feel the need to overpay for Hopkins, so the team may not have been comfortable giving that guaranteed money to a 31-year-old who had missed 15 games. the last two seasons. It seemed like the Patriots had set their price point and weren’t willing to go above that number—and Hopkins was only interested in joining the highest bidder.

“The teams that have been involved tell me that actually going up until the start of training camp, it’s going to be about the money,” Brier added.

For more information from Brier, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald and Sunday Sports Host Michael Phleger on Hopkins’ move to Tennessee, check out the full clip on YouTube below.