After the hiring of Bill O’Brien yesterday, the New England Patriots signed their own death warrant when it comes to possibly trading for DeAndre Hopkins this off season. Although we saw the heartfelt video between Bill Belichick and Hopkins from when the Patriots faced off against the Cardinals and how highly both have spoken about each other; Billy OB’s return to Foxboro completely ensures that Hopkins will not be calling Gillette Stadium his home for the foreseeable future.
The Reality of the Situation Between DeAndre Hopkins & O’Brien
There was an NFL executive yesterday who was reported saying that he believes that the two could get past their “beef” and be chordal enough to work together but is that the true reality of the situation?
O’Brien traded Hopkins in March of 2020 and was subsequently the following season from Houston after a 0-4 start. Hopkins was dealt for David Johnson, a second-round pick, and two fourth-round picks.
Bill O’Brien’s full quote, re: the DeAndre Hopkins trade: pic.twitter.com/HiA0w2fMCx
— SportsRadio 610 (@SportsRadio610) April 3, 2020
O’Brien reportedly traded Hopkins because “He had three years left on his deal and he wanted a raise. We weren’t going to be able to go in that direction. We felt we had a great offer from Arizona.”
This deal was a complete fleecing and showed how fractured the relationship between Bill O’Brien and DeAndre Hopkins was. Hopkins did take the high road after O’Brien was fired from Houston.
“Of course, I saw it, it was all over the internet, a lot of memes and stuff with me in it and my name, but I wish bad on no one, Hopefully he can have success somewhere else.”
O’Brien fractured that relationship well before the trade though. Hopkins told Michael Irvin, NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst, that O’Brien said to him in a one-on-one meeting “’Hey, uh, the last time I had to have a meeting like this, it was with Aaron Hernandez.” Bill O’Brien also believed that Hopkins also had too much say in the Texans’ locker room and that created a power struggle.
Irvin then went on about the meeting and how it altered the course of their relationship.
“And from there, the meeting just deteriorated. He got into talking about DeAndre Hopkins, because DeAndre Hopkins has a few kids from different women, and he told DeAndre that he doesn’t like that he has his baby mamas around sometimes. And from there, I think the relationship just went bad, and thus we got a trade of DeAndre Hopkins from Houston for basically, like I said earlier, a ham sandwich.”
Hopkins did have a rebuttal to the comments made by Irvin saying that things were blown a bit out of proportion but they were factually accurate.
This seems like a case of the truth sitting in the middle, as Hopkins does not want this type of negative attention surrounding him, but there must be some truth surrounding these claims.
What Does This Mean for a Possible Return Together With The Patriots?
I may be too cynical but I cannot see a reason why, outside of playing for Bill Belichick, why DeAndre Hopkins would choose to waive his no-trade clause to become a Patriot. The team was in shambles last year and he would be an immediate impact but why would you want that cloud of media negativity surrounding you. There would be questions about Bill O’Brien and DeAndre Hopkins’ relationship, but then the Patriots would have to deal with a media storm, the opposite of what the Patriots have ever wanted.
Also, as reported on Sunday, O'Brien push to bring in Earl Thomas was met with strong pushback by the Texans locker room. His relationships with players were long suffering and Hopkins trade only intensified the tense atmosphere
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 5, 2020
If anyone is being compared to Aaron Hernandez in a one on one meeting there is no chance anyone could brush that off of their shoulders. As a Patriots fan and Mac Jones Number One Fan, I obviously would love to have Hopkins in New England. The Patriots need to surround Jones with weapons and there is arguably no better weapon in football than Hopkins but both O’Brien and Hopkins have not spoken since the trade and I cannot see that changing any time soon.
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