Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was recently released by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite the fact that he’s still arguably a top 10-15 receiver in this league, the Cardinals were unable to find a trade partner for Hopkins on his current contract. When they were seeking a trade partner, the Patriots were reported to have had some, but not much interest.

As Hopkins hits the open market, it’s a whole new ballgame. The Chiefs and Bills were initially perceived as favorites to land him, but it seems he’s turning towards teams that can pay him slightly more and make him their instant top target as opposed to the top line Super Bowl contenders. Currently, Hopkins only has two visits scheduled, one with the Titans and one with the Patriots.

The Patriots have a golden opportunity here. They have lacked a true #1 wide receiver for years, and now there’s an elite one on the open market. I feel that Hopkins is just what the Patriots need to take their team to the next level and they should and will go all in on signing him.

Some Boston fans have been skeptical that this deal actually has a chance to happen, with Bill Belichick often seeming unwilling to spend premium money on high level talent, instead relying on his own coaching to maximize the value out of cheaper signings. However, when Belichick has struck on big name free agents, it’s often late in the offseason after their market has cooled off a bit (think the Cam Newton signing a few years ago). Given he was cut rather than traded, it seems Hopkins’ market is already past its peak. I don’t think this is an unrealistic ask of Belichick.

Others mention his history with new Patriots OC Bill O’Brien after O’Brien traded him out of Houston. However, O’Brien is reportedly in favor of signing Hopkins, and given Hopkins is visiting New England, it does seem he may be open to starting fresh with him.

Most notably, Hopkins would make this Patriots offense harder to defend, as defenses would be handling someone they have to game plan for specifically. However, what I think people are underestimating is how beneficial this signing would be for Patriots QB Mac Jones.

Jones took a step back in his sophomore season, but I still feel he has room to develop. Working with Matt Patricia last season frustrated Jones and the lackluster offensive schemes likely held him back. With O’Brien at OC, he’s already likely to take somewhat of a step forward. However, an elite wide receiver makes it more likely this could be a true breakout year for Jones.

If you look at recent breakout seasons from young QBs, many of them were directly correlated with the acquisition of an elite wide receiver. Josh Allen took a huge step up after the Bills brought in Stefon Diggs. Jalen Hurts took a leap after the Eagles traded for A.J. Brown. Hopkins may be older than those receivers, but I still think he’s capable of playing at an elite level. In just 9 games last season, Hopkins tallied 64 receptions for 717 yards. While he had just 3 touchdowns, that was partially a result of the Cardinals loss of Kyler Murray down the stretch of the season.

While it’s no guarantee that Jones could take an Allen/Hurts style leap, bringing in Hopkins makes it far more likely. This is exactly what the Patriots need if they want to battle it out with the best in the AFC.

7 of the perceived top 8 QBs in the league will play in the AFC this season: Patrick Mahomes (KC), Josh Allen (BUF), Joe Burrow (CIN), Lamar Jackson (BAL), Justin Herbert (LAC), Trevor Lawrence (JAX), and Aaron Rodgers (NYJ). Assuming most of those teams make the playoffs, that really doesn’t leave many spots left. A step forward from Jones with Hopkins on the roster would allow the Pats offense to come close to keeping up with some of the best. Given the team already arguably has a better defense than half the teams on that list, this would make the Pats a legitimate playoff team, and at their ceiling, possibly even a contender for upcoming Super Bowls.

If the Pats don’t sign Hopkins, that will likely result in a minuscule step forward from Jones that in this tough AFC, would likely lead to another .500-ish season. That could spell the end of the Mac Jones era in New England, and possibly even the Bill Belichick era. Do the Patriots really want to be stuck in mediocrity for years, or have to start all over? I don’t think so.

Hopkins would significantly change the outlook for this team. With $13 million in cap space, the Pats have the flexibility to offer Hopkins the money he wants and outbid competitors. This move has been speculated for months on end. It’s time it actually becomes reality.