The Patriots were one of two known teams vying to sign receiver DeAndre Hopkins — who ended up putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Titans.
On Tuesday, head coach Bill Belichick was asked about his reaction to Hopkins landing with Tennessee.
“We talked to a number of players from the middle of June until now,” Belichick said in his press conference. "[We’ll] talk to other players now. So, there’s a lot of roster movement this time of year.”
But was there any disappointment in seeing Hopkins sign with another team?
“It’s like hundreds of other players we deal with over the course of the year,” Belichick said. “We have so many roster spots, some sign here, some sign somewhere else. When there’s an agreement, there’s an agreement. When there’s not, there’s 31 other teams.”
The Patriots’ receiving corps should still be improved in 2023, with JuJu Smith-Schuster added to the mix as a free agent, as well as tight end Mike Gesicki. But the club certainly could have used a target of Hopkins’ caliber to be that much more competitive in what should be a tough AFC East this season.