DeAndre Hopkins visits Patriots; in no rush to sign, per source - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins visited with the New England Patriots on Thursday and, barring an unexpected turn, both sides are now expected to take some time to assess their next steps, according to a source familiar with the visit.

Hopkins, 31, has not been in a rush to sign with a team and has considered waiting until closer to training camp in late July to make a move, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Likewise, the Patriots officially conclude their offseason program on Friday, with about a one-month hiatus before the start of training camp.

On Instagram, Hopkins posted a picture of himself with Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon, from inside New England's locker room. He included the words «La Familia,» which highlights how he connected with some of the team's veteran leaders during his visit.

Hopkins' visit Thursday started early in the morning and went well into the afternoon, a source told Fowler, adding Hopkins appeared intrigued by the possibility of playing for New England and coach Bill Belichick. Whether that results in a deal now or in the future remains unclear.

Hopkins, who also visited with the Tennessee Titans early in the week, has a fan in Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.

«I think DeAndre is a great player. You watch his film from college all the way through the NFL, he's done a great job. So obviously we'd love to have him, but we do have a great group of guys,» Jones said at the start of the team's mandatory minicamp this week.

«I've been really pleased with the playmakers we have on the team; we've come out here and really bought into the system. We have a good group and I feel like we need to keep growing together and whoever is in that room, we're going to