Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: DeAndre Hopkins Signs with Titans; What’s Next for Pats at Receiver?

Episode Date: July 18, 2023

With DeAndre Hopkins having agreed to sign with the Tennessee Titans, the New England Patriots shift their focus to the corps of wide receivers currently on their depth chart. Host Mike D’Abate is joined by Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports to discuss the impact of Hopkins’ signing with the Titans on the Pats offense, Bill Belichick’s duties as both coach and general manager and whether New England is done making moves.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG(CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat(CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DeAndre Hopkins is now a member of the Tennessee Titans. What does it mean for your New England Patriots? We've got all the angles covered here on Mailbag Monday, so stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots podcast,

a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated.

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Monday and that means the monster master of disaster the Count of Murphy Fisto, the legendary Thomas Murphy, going to join me here from E2G Sports in just a minute. Don't murph, but don't forget today, folks. Today's episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, and they help you do it faster.

Post your job for free at LinkedInin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. And Pats fans, thank you so much for joining me here today. Hope you all had an amazing weekend and we appreciate you making us your first listen today on the Locked On Podcast Network. A special shout out as always to all of you everydayers out there. You make Locked On Patriots possible, and we are definitely grateful for your support.

But as you can imagine, the mailbag pool was flooded with questions starting yesterday afternoon when the news hit that DeAndre Hopkins would be signing a two-year, $26 million deal worth up to $32 million with incentives with the Tennessee Titans. And the deal is expected to be finalized within the next few days. ESPN additionally reporting that the first year will carry a base salary of $12 million with incentives getting to $15 million. Murph, I think we all would have saved a lot of time and maybe a lot of aggravation if we just had listened to you about a month ago on this, but bottom line, with $18 million in available cap space, this seemed like a doable deal for the Patriots.

The fan base is letting Bill Belichick know that, and we're going to talk about that in just a moment, but first, your reaction reaction to the deal and if indeed you believe this is a miss for the new england patriots how big of a miss was it well here's my reaction to the deal angry and green we love it yeah huge green and kind of pissed this was doable they could have moved moved from Peter and Paul and Mary, if you wanted to, to get this deal done. It was definitely a doable deal. But, you know, as a few people said all along, he was going to take the most money and that's exactly what he did. So yeah, I'm truly ticked off. This was money that the Patriots had. We all know that Bill likes to go into the season with $8 million to $10 million worth of workable cap space to get through the year.

This is what they do, time in and time out. I don't want to hear about cash spending. There's some great articles out there about cash spending, how it doesn't translate to, uh, to, um, uh, wins on the field. You, you, you can point to a myriad of guys that have overspent over the years and it's gotten them nowhere. Um, but this was something that, that could have gotten done that could have been in under the cap and bill stood up still could have jogged a few things around to get that $8 million that he likes to go into the season with in his back pocket in case he needs to make another move, in case a trade needs to happen, in case somebody comes on the market that he needs that cash for. So, yeah, no, I'm not happy about, almost as much as not seeing DeAndre Hopkins at this number in the Patriots uniform,

is a lot of the takes out there in the Twitter sphere that DeAndre Hopkins picked the Titans over the Patriots. DeAndre Hopkins chose not to play football with Mac Jones. That's not the case. He chose the most money. That's case. He chose the most money. That's it. He chose the most money, you know, just as I said, four months ago and three months ago. And, and I moved off my, my 90, 10 fricking take, you know, a few weeks ago and it was, but it was still 60, 40. He still, he wasn't going to be here when I did my, uh, my roster projections, I was back up to 80, 20, that he wasn't going to be here, but, um, seeing these numbers. Yeah. It ticks me off a little bit

because this could have gotten done. I thought it was going to come in at about three years and $50 million, maybe $40 million guaranteed. This is a hell of a lot less than that. Yeah. Without question. And I think that's one of the reasons why you're seeing such a fan yeah I can understand you being a little bit upset on Sunday afternoon into Monday morning and it probably hasn't gotten much better but bottom line what this does is it resets the Patriots wide receiver room and we'll get to how it's going to reset the wide receiver room a little bit later in today's pod because we did have a couple of great questions surrounding the impact this will have on the New England Patriots I can tell you,

and several of my colleagues in the media have reported something similar, and I reported this yesterday for Sports Illustrated as well. I was not the first to report this, but I was among those that do speak to people that are close to the organization that say that the Patriots brass does have a quiet confidence heading into training camp. They believe very strongly in the offense they have in the room. Does that mean that they weren't serious about pursuing DeAndre? Absolutely not. They were very serious about it.

They kept in constant contact with him. They really put on a full court press in their estimation to sign him and to bring him into this wide receiver room. There was just a limit to how far they were going to go. And obviously that limit was the deal that he signed with Tennessee. So there was a certain wall that the Patriots were not going to climb over to get DeAndre Hopkins. Doesn't mean they didn't want him. But one of the reasons why that wall is there is because of their confidence in Bill O'Brien's new offense.

We've seen it on the field a little bit in limited sample practice sizes from what they've been doing in OTAs, in minicamp. They're very confident that that new O'Brien-like effect on this offense is going to lead to an improved Mac Jones. It's going to lead to improved communication between he and the offensive line. The protection is going to be better. The protection will be better. That's going to facilitate guys like Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Hunter Henry, Devontae Parker to rise above what they were last year and take that next step. You add in Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Gusecki, all of a sudden you're looking at a very, very talented room of pass catchers

for the Patriots. So they feel that with the wealth spread around, it's not necessarily imperative for them to sink an awful lot of money into one player to save their offense. I think that's where Tennessee was a little more desperate in that regard. They needed DeAndre Hopkins in order to make their offense i think serviceable this year especially in a division where they're going to face some stiff competition because of that they were more aggressive they put on a little bit more of urgency to sign him and i think that's why they did i don't think it was because the patriots were asleep at the wheel i just think the tennessee

titans were more aggressive they They wanted DeAndre Moore, and I think that's why they got him. Yep, exactly. And they really needed him. You know, quite frankly, this is the Titans chasing their own tail, okay? They sent A.J. Brown off a couple of years ago, and then they realized hey we needed them you know we we needed that kind of talent uh and and now they have another wide receiver in their room in their uh organization on the field that is going to take some of the heat off of the other players that are on the team and uh i'm sure we're going to get into that with uh with um the mailbag in a minute or two but no they just getting back to it, I understand why people are upset about this. This is a move that could have been made,

should have been made, would have made this team better. Would it have made this team a Super Bowl team? I don't know. Right now we're banking a lot on what happens on the defensive side and the people that are in the rooms now and are going to be in the rooms in the future that, you know, quite frankly,

the Patriots have a lot of faith in that they're going to be able to do what Michael just said and get a lot more out of this grouping than what happened last year. Yeah, without question. question i mean anytime you bring in a talent like deandre hopkins who is still capable of playing at an extremely high level once again folks please don't believe the social media clout chasers that are out there trying to say this guy's washed up he's far from it he's gonna really help that titans pass catching core you talk about guys like treylon bur Burks, Kyle Phillips, Chris Moore. They're really going to benefit from having DeAndre Hopkins in that lineup.

Ryan Tannehill will absolutely do it. And I'm glad you mentioned that earlier, folks. This wasn't DeAndre choosing Ryan Tannehill over Mac Jones. It wasn't, you know, the Bill O'Brien effect and the problems that they had. That was all water under the bridge. Yeah, this was. This was a monetary decision. And I don't blame DeAndre one bit.

No. Because he's got the ability. He feels like he's worth a certain amount. And he got it from the Tennessee Titans. So really, this wasn't a disrespect to the Patriots. This was more about going after what he believed he was truly worth. That we have to remember, there was never a third party. And if there were, they were offering less money than everybody involved here.

There are teams out there like Buffalo, like Kansas City, that are sitting back there and saying, well, you need us more than we need you. You want a title, come get it. We're right there on the doorstep. We've all been through this. Okay. With players coming to new England over the years. And, um, and that's some of the criticism that Bill's getting is the fact that he's

still living, you know, like Tom Brady is, is still here. And guys, I've said it a thousand times. There were two kinds. There are two kinds of free agents, one chasing a bag of money and another one chasing a ring. And I said at the beginning of all of this, that Hopkins is a guy that's still chasing the money and God bless him. You know, he's got a family to take care of. He's got a lifestyle that he enjoys leading. Take as much money as you can, son. Yeah. Essentially, I think that's where we've landed and bottom line folks it does take pressure and it applies it to the players on the field natural just feel a little bit more as

well like juan thornton davante parker especially with the contract extension more pressure on him for to deliver this year in the eyes of the media and the fan base kendrick bourne a little bit juju smith schuster mike gusecki hunter henry all these guys are going to have to step it up. I think this places the most pressure on head coach Bill Belichick. How much pressure does it place on him, and what does it do for Bill the coach as well as Bill the GM? Well, Mailbag Monday definitely delves into this matter, and Murph and I are going to open up that mailbag when this episode

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And here we are today on Mailbag Monday, folks. I know it's all about DeAndre, but we have not forgotten the mailbag. Folks, especially starting yesterday afternoon, right in through this morning some amazing questions coming in and Murph and I had a lot of problems swimming through all of those comments questions concerns everything especially all you everydayers out there you truly truly are remarkable and we're going to conclude this segment today uh with question from one of our most valued everydayers and you kind of figure out who we're talking about if we're talking wide receivers. But bottom line, if you're looking at pressure

right now, folks, I think all of the pressure is being applied to one area, and that is the head coaching seat of Bill Belichick. Look at social media. There is a lot of vitriol being thrown in his way right now. Some people are calling him cheap. Some are calling him out of touch. A lot of people calling for his job. Some other people are calling for other things to be done to Bill Belichick that because we are a family show, I'm not going to elaborate on, but you get the point. A lot of people are angry and they're upset right now. Murph, one such individual is our submitter here today for the first comment from the Monday Mailbag.

And it's a first time submitter here. So let's go ahead and get this going. And then I want to break this into two parts because I thought this was fascinating. The first question today comes to us from S2015 at throwing1233 on social media. And Murph, look at that avatar. Boston baseball. We love it. The synergy between Boston sports is unlike any other in the region New Englanders are against everyone else but uh there is definitely a lot of feeling here uh fail by Bill he starts at two for 26 plus crazy incentives Bill should have gotten this done well Murph and I kind of touched on that subject a little bit in the previous segment,

and I think there is some validity to what he says here. But he goes into a little bit beyond and says it's not about DeHop. It's about the room. He lets Juju get second cornerback, meaning that Juju would be covered by the second cornerback. Kendrick Bourne getting covered by the third corner. Henry Ngeseki having to be covered by linebackers which is a mismatch in coverage it makes everyone's job easier when you have a wide receiver one meaning that the top corner would undoubtedly be covering someone like a deandre hopkins or if i think this is fascinating on two fronts i want to break this

up into two parts first i teased a little bit about all of the pressure on Bill Belichick plate or wherever, you know, you, you folks have slipped underneath Bill Belichick's, uh, chair. Um, it results is, is the only determining factor. And, uh, yes, uh, on more than one occasion, Robert Kraft has come out and said that he expects the playoffs this year. He expects a win in the playoffs this year and um you know i i fully believe that this team as it's constructed right now uh can do that yeah i believe it can as well uh will they is going to be another kettle of fish because there are a lot of teams right now that have playoff caliber rosters that might be a bit more equipped into a deep run into the playoffs, especially as we start playing into late November, early December. That being said, I think the Patriots

may be well equipped for a run like that as well. So let the season play out, folks. Don't let preseason prognostications or big names in new areas start to cloud your judgment about what this team can do on the field. I don't think anyone can look at the 2022 product of New England Patriots and say that this was a team that absolutely should have been in the playoffs. I think you look at that team and say, it's amazing that they won eight games with all of the turmoils that they had, with all of the coaching problems that they had. I think it speaks well to the culture in the locker room and the caliber of players they had on the field. They were even in playoff contention into the final day of the season. So keep that in mind when you talk about

Bill's hot seat. I understand a lot of people are frustrated about this being a failure to secure a very good player. I think you have a decent argument. I'm not going to berate you for that, but people calling for Bill Belichick's job, I think might be doing so a little prematurely. Let's see what this team looks like on the field before you start getting angry in that regard. But I think S 2015 had a very good point in the second half of his question. And again, folks, I'll bring it back so that way we can see it. those of you listening it's not about d hop it's about the room he lets juju get second cornerback let's born get the third henry and gasecki get linebacker coverage makes everyone's job easier when you have a wide receiver one murph this sounds like solid logic to me obviously you're going to get a lesser

corner now playing someone like a juju smith schuster maybe born or parker getting that third cornerback those can lead to mismatches if you've got henry and gasecki being covered by linebackers that's really a mismatch right especially for gasecki because he has the ability to get open a bit more and make contested catches the cornerback one getting someone like a deandre hopkins is definitely an advantage but there's a flip side to this as well um and i'll get into that flip side in just a moment but when you look at this setting and you look at what s 2015 is laid out here is this a concern for the patriots do they simply not have the horses to match up against solid secondaries

um no i think they they definitely have the the horses to match up against solid secondaries? No, I think they definitely have the horses. It's going to be more scheme orientated right now than just basing it all off of, you know, a number one wide receiver. And also there are drawbacks to having that number one wide receiver because often those number one wide receivers are divas. It's a diva position. Throw me the damn ball. It goes all the way back to Keyshawn and just throw me the damn ball. You know, we've seen it on the sidelines up in Buffalo. You see it on the sidelines out in Las Vegas. You know, why aren't you getting me the ball more well because i've got an open guy over here and uh he's going to get me more than than heaving it up to you 11 or 12 or 15 times a game so you can get your

fantasy points now i'm not calling i'm not calling deandre hopkins you know that kind of ball play i don't know him quite you know that well i'm sorry you, I'm looking at him in, in, uh, in Houston from new England, down in Houston, and then out there in, in, uh, in the desert. So I, I, I'm not trying to hang that on him, but give it, give it a shot. People there, there have been a lot of, uh, of, um, different parts brought into, into this, uh, system this year from coaching to guys like Juju Smith-Schuster, you know, the pass catchers are there. You guys keep talking about weapons.

The pass catchers are on this roster. Give them time to work their way in and see what goes on. I predicted, you know, and you guys hear it, and I'll stick up for this all year long. I predicted in my roster projections on Twitter and everywhere, I said, this team is going to go 12-5. Folks, you can definitely make the argument one way or another whether you think 12-5 is an aggressive total for the Patriots,

whether it be overly optimistic. I think that there's a lot of evidence to support either. I think this team could be a surprise and win a lot more games than people believe, because I do believe in the talent in this room. But you also look at the gauntlet, the schedule they need to go through, at least on paper, and it does look like an insurmountable task. But once again, take a look at the product on the field, and then you'll be able to tell what this team can do. At least give them a couple of games to show that, or at least throw a little bit of training camp to see what this team looks like. But bottom line, I agree with you. I think that when you look at what someone like a DeAndre Hopkins can bring to this room, I do think that having the attention of that number one corner can create a lot of opportunity for your pass catchers. But there is something to be said about the enigmatic type of identity that this offense can take on now as well.

There you go. Because you don't have that clear-cut number one. So who gets your number one target? Well, if someone like a Mike Gusecki can prove on a weekly basis that he's capable of being the most targeted wide receiver, tight end pass catcher in this lineup, then he's going to get that on one week. That can be a significant mismatch.

If you want to talk about whether or not to put a covered safety on him or a cornerback one, they're drawing the attention away. I think Juju Smith-Schuster has the ability to command the other team's top corner on a weekly basis. So if Juju is is covered does that create more opportunity now for davante to go up and get contested catches kendrick born to make plays in the open field there's a lot of different combinations and permutations that the patriots can put out there and we're also not talking about ramondre stevenson who's very very capable

of making life difficult for opposing defenses. So, yes, on paper, it doesn't create the greatest of matchups, but Bill O'Brien is as creative in terms of coverages and in terms of schemes as any offensive coordinator out there. He was ranked as the third best before a snap for the New England Patriots this season. That should tell you the type of pedigree he's coming in with and being able to coordinate a pro-level offense.

So we're going to try to have some faith, and we're going to try to go on what we're seeing here, but that's what makes training camp and preseason so vital, folks. Keep a sharp eye and pay close attention before we can make an official judgment call. Murph, before we take this one, put this back in the mailbag. The vitriol being thrown at Bill is definitely about not spending money or not doing what he needs to do on the field to help build a GM. How much of the blame pie do you think belongs on Bill Belichick for this deal not getting done? 98%. He had the cash.

He had the freedom. We all heard Robert say it. He had the freedom to spend it. He chose not to. It goes back to the top. He chose not to spend this money. He didn't come off of his number. He was dealing with a bottom line kind of guy in DeAndre Hopkins. The bottom line was, I'm getting more money in music city than I am here. Yeah, without question, folks. And that's going to lead into Bill Belichick taking on the pressure. He did it last year when Matt Patricia and Joe Judge were chosen as the primary driving force behind this offense.

Bill Belichick said, look, the buck stops here. I'm responsible for the product out on the field. I think heated that point once again he's betting on his guys let's see what that's going to mean for the product on the field but it also doesn't mean that the patriots are done making moves espn's adam schefter had something interesting to say on monday morning episode of get up saying quote let's see if they take some of this money that could have been earmarked for DeAndre Hopkins and try to reallocate it to a player like Delvin Cook. Well, Murph and I have been very vocal about that subject.

We're going to be vocal about it again in just a moment. But we're also going to take a question from one of our very favorites here on Locked On Patriots in terms of next steps. Where do the Pats go from here? Murph and I answer that question when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up. Pats fans, thank you once again for sticking with us here on Locked On Patriots, making us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

A special shout out to all of you everydayers out there who are with us Monday through Friday training camp next week. It starts in just a little over a week. Who can believe it? A special shout out to all of you everydayers out there who are with us Monday through Friday. Training camp next week. It starts in just a little over a week. Who can believe it? And once again, we'll continue our positional breakdowns tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots. Harrison Reno, writer for Sports Illustrated, Patriot Century, one of my colleagues, going to be joining me here tomorrow to help break down the Patriots defensive line.

And we might throw a little bit of DeAndre talk in there as well so don't miss that folks download subscribe to follow wherever you get your podcasts but today Murph and I are still waiting in the period of questions that we received in Monday's mailbag and Murph I don't think we could have a show on DeAndre Hopkins and wide receivers without taking a question from this man. Once again, folks, he defines the term every day. He is one of our very favorites, both on a professional and personal level. Love this guy to death. He is LJ. And here's the question, but DeHop didn't sign with New England, as I said numerous

times. Yeah, tip of the cap, LJ. You definitely said that. But will New England make a move to improve their offense? O-line, still no number one receiver for Jones. Maybe no number two. Either just a bunch of number three and four. Born as a wild card.

Hashtag mailbag Monday. Now, Murph, I think we've both kind of established that I don't think the patriots are down to a bunch of three and fours right the argument that maybe a one is not on this roster but i think to call them all three and four is a little bit harsh right juju gaseki even born when he's on parker i think can make all the arguments that these guys belong at least in that number two but lj brings up a good point the patriots do have 18 plus million available in cap space burning a hole in their pocket yeah two spots left on their roster where do they go what are they doing now that deandre hopkins is making his home in nashville tennessee they're

they're waiting to see what shakes out in in training camp who might who might still get cut and who they can add maybe to this offensive line or to the wide receiver room. But I mean, we've talked about it at length, almost at nauseam, that Bill is very comfortable going into this season with the pass catchers that he has right now. I don't see them going out and signing another wide receiver or a tight end to bring in here and boost LJ's opinion of his GM skills. You're killing me, LJ. You're killing me. Well, I think he's making the effort.

He's definitely passionate. And he's going to put that passion into practice. Now, will Bill Belichick put that type of passion into practice? Yeah, I think that's where the disconnect is, especially on Dalvin Cook. Look, I hope I'm wrong on Dalvin. I absolutely do. I don't see it happening. I think Dalvin is angling for a bigger contract elsewhere.

I think he might get it in Miami. But bottom line, where he does get it, I don't think is going to be in England, Murph. Look, I've said it before. If he wants to come here for $2 or $3 million, man, I don't think is going to be in Wimbledon. Look, I've said it before. If he wants to come here for $2 or $3 million, man, I'm fine. Do you folks really want Bill to pay him $8 million a year to back up Stevenson? All right, because that's what's going to happen. Or one set of downs for Romandre, one set of downs for Cook, and run the ball 300 times this year.

Is that the offense that you want? It's not what I want to see. I'm not paying that much money for a backup. If he wants to come in here and be insurance and get 10 touches or 12 touches a game for 10 or 12-touch guy money, then that's fine. But again, we've talked about his receiving skills, which are, are, are good, not great. He's, he's a screen receiver. He's not one of those guys that gets out into patterns a lot in it. That's the way he's run before in the offenses that he's

run before. Um, he's not the guy that's going to go out there. Show me a wheel route that he's, he's been able to make. There are guys on this team making a lot less money that are coming into their second year here that are going to be able to do that yeah i'm glad you mentioned that and a couple of guys out there that are getting at least some mention in the social media universe no matter what platform you're on folks the names that i've seen zeke elliott leonard fournette kareem hunt a lot of people trying to say that maybe the patriots delve into one of these guys all three of the running backs that i just mentioned all on the north side of 28 years of age or they're going to turn 28 within the coming weeks that's not a surmountable age to be able to be a running back but you're getting

but there are guys there with a lot of right there are guys there a lot of tread off the tires yeah as indiana jones would say it's not the years honey it's the mileage and that is i think what you have to worry about with guys like that all rushed for fewer than four yards per carry in 2022 um if they're gonna make a move at either any one of those guys i would see it being maybe hunt or fournette. I can't see Elliott. I don't think it's a fit here in New England. I think he's got stuff left in the tank. Behind better offensive lines. Yeah, exactly.

So when you look at Kareem Hunt or Leonard Fournette, there are options that they provide receiving out of the backfield. 142 catches over the last two seasons for Fournette out of the backfield down in Tampa Bay. That's something to consider. Kareem Hunt's 17 receiving touchdowns in his six-year career, something that I think the New England Patriots could take a look at. Dare I say, these might be under-the-radar moves that the Patriots make,

and I think they might be stockpiling a little bit for next year and trying to keep themselves in good position. There you go. Our man Miguel, who may or may not be joining us here on the airwaves this week, is going to have an awful lot to say about what this $18 million burning a hole in Bill Belichick's pocket may mean for 2024. And you're going to definitely want to hear what he has to say. Talk to Miguel about cash spending.

Talk to Miguel about cash spending, people. Go hit him up. Absolutely. I said in my roster projections that, you know, they were going to carry for Harris, Montgomery, Stevenson, and Pierre Strong. And I mentioned everybody in my reasoning for that that we've talked about here. Cook, Kareem Hunt is not going to happen at those prices and with the baggage that they carry.

There's already enough going on here. Leonard Fournette is a maybe. Okay. And that depends on, on the price that he comes in on. And I think that's something that a lot of Patriots fans are going to be watching over the course of the next couple of days. Who's popping in training camp.

Who's getting the eyes on them. And who may be the odd man out. And does it lead to a new face coming into the doors of one Patriots place in Foxborough, Massachusetts? Folks, we will continue to monitor that here on Locked on Patriots and bring you the very latest on all the comings, goings, misfires, and targets that the Patriots hit. Training camp now set to begin on Wednesday, July 26th. And Murph, I for one cannot wait to see the boys back out there on the field. But I thank you, my good friend.

It's always an honor to have you join me on Mailbag Monday. And we can't wait to do it all over again, folks. But in the meantime, please let everyone know, all of our everydayers, all of our casual listeners, all of our first timers, where they can find you, interact with you, and what we can look forward to this week from the great pen, the great voice of Thomas Murphy. Of course, you can follow me on the bird app at teamer of 207 tip of the cap to Mark Schofield. And, um, you know, you can find my writing at e2g sports.com. I've got my, uh, my roster projections, as I, uh, promised all of you, uh,

out there right now, go take a look at them. Give me some brief. Who, who did I leave off that, that you think should be there? Who did I put on that? You know, you think shouldn't, um, and, uh, you know, a couple of surprises in there that, that you might like, uh, here or there. Uh, and of course all, all my Red Sox coverage will be right there. And, um, other than that, you can find me right here. Oh, um, we will be, uh, back on Thursday this week with an episode of One Patriot's Place. We're getting the band back together. Steve Balistrieri is going to be stopping in, and that's going to be a blast. And of course, Claire is back from vacation, letting Mike off the hook so he doesn't have to come and guest make me look good.

Well, I don't know about that. I think that the reverse, you make me look good each and every day on Locked On Patriots here, my friend. So I always appreciate you coming on. But it is good to get the band back together again. Three of the most valued friends here on Locked On Patriots all in one place. What more can you ask for, folks? Check that out wherever you get podcasts. And in the meantime, please continue to stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. Coverage all week long here, getting you ready for

training camp, positional previews, maybe some more DeAndre Hopkins news and the very latest breaking news from all of the comings and goings in Foxborough. But in the meantime, I want to thank my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, for joining me here to help open

the Monday Mailbag every single week. It's always an honor, always a privilege. And folks, already, get your questions in for next Monday because we're already stockpiling. You don't need to wait to the weekend. That mailbag is open all week long for you to drop those in. So we look forward to answering your questions here on Locked On, Patriots. But please continue to stay safe and to stay well and be the change that you all wish to see in the world.

On behalf of my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you again here tomorrow on Locked On Patriots. You'd have to pay me that much to live in Nashville. I'm a Memphis guy.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much.