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DeAndre Hopkins was shockingly released by the Arizona Cardinals during the 2023 NFL offseason, officially making him an unrestricted free agent. He's now able to sign with any NFL team that offers him a contract ahead of the 2023 season. The superstar wide receiver figures to have a relatively strong market as he's expected to join a potential contender this year.
One team that has apparently expressed their interest in acquiring Hopkins is the New England Patriots. He's reportedly scheduled to meet with the franchise to discuss the terms of a potential contract, allowing both sides to see where the other stands on the terms of a deal.
It certainly makes sense for the Patriots and other potential landing spots to have an interest in signing one of the best wide receivers of the last decade in the NFL. However, many NFL fans are projecting that he will fail to make an impact during the 2023 NFL season as his best days may already be behind him.
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DeAndre Hopkins seems to have taken notice of these critics as evidenced by his recent activity on his personal Twitter account. The 31-year-old recently quote tweeted a harsh prediction of his value, simply responding with three dots.
"Nobody should be foolish enough to pursue this player who is clearly on the decline."
Hopkins also gave a sarcastic response in another quote tweet. This time he found a thread explaining why his performance on the football field continues to be strong and that he hasn't "fallen off" quite yet. He responded with sarcasm by stating this can't be the case.
"Shhhhh. I'm old and cant get open."
DeAndre Hopkins appears to be a bit insulted by the criticism that he's past his prime and "too old" to really help a team during the 2023 NFL season. While he recently turned 31 years old, which is considered relatively "old" for a player in his position, he's still shown that he can be extremely productive on the football field.
DeAndre Hopkins' sneaky-strong production with the Cardinals
While many consider DeAndre Hopkinshop' time in Arizona to be a relative disappointment, the only significant was his availability over the last two years. He missed 15 games combined over the last two seasons due to injuries and PED violation suspension. When he's been on the field, he's been extremely consistent.
His first season and only full year with the Cardinals was in 2020 when he recorded the third-highest single-season receiving yardage total of his career. This includes all of his elite seasons with the Houston Texans. He also set a career-high with 115 receptions during that same 2020 season.
In fact, in his three years with the Cardinals, he averaged just one fewer receiving yards per game than he did with the Texans. He also averaged more receptions per game in Arizona than he did in Houston. This may indicate that a healthy DeAndre Hopkins could be a major weapon for the team that signs him ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
