Latest On DeAndre Hopkins, Patriots
DeAndre Hopkins‘ visit with the Patriots has come to an end, and it sounds like there’s serious interest from both sides. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that there’s “definitely intrigue from player and team” following the meeting. Meanwhile, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the Patriots are “making a push” for the free agent wideout. Hopkins posted about the visit on Instagram, posting a picture of himself and Matt Judon with the caption “La Familia” (per ESPN’s Mike Reiss).
It sounds like there’s some building optimism towards a deal. Howe notes that while Hopkins “has departed Gillette Stadium,” he’s still remaining local. There was a report earlier this week that Hopkins could consider additional visits following his scheduled stops in Tennessee and New England. However, no definitive additional suitors have emerged since that time, so Hopkins’ choice may come down to the Titans and Patriots.
Fowler previously reported that Hopkins has been in no rush to sign with a team and could wait until closer to training camp to ink a deal (via Reiss). The Patriots are also set to be off for a month after finishing their offseason program tomorrow.
Hopkins would be an intriguing addition to a receivers corps that lacks a clear number one WR. The Patriots let Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor walk this offseason, adding receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki to a grouping of targets that also includes DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, and tight end Hunter Henry.
While Hopkins will be entering his age-31 season in 2023, he’d still provide more upside than any of the team’s current options. The veteran missed a chunk of games due to suspension in 2022, but he still managed to finish the year with 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns. His 79.7 yards per game was a massive improvement from his 2021 campaign (57.2 ypg), and his 2022 average would have led the Patriots by a significant margin.
While a Hopkins signing could come at the expense of one of the team’s current wideouts, it’d still be a massive addition in what will be a crucial year for Mac Jones. The quarterback flashed his first-round pedigree during his rookie campaign, but after the Patriots replaced Josh McDaniels with former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (plus a sprinkle of former ST coordinator Joe Judge), Jones took a step back in 2022. The Patriots will have to make a decision on the QB’s fifth-year option following the 2023 season, so it’s crucial that the organization puts him in a position to succeed before making the commitment.
“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 earlier this week (via Reiss).
“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 try to dominate together.”
While considering the merits of adding Hopkins to their team, the Patriots will also have to consider that they haven’t gotten an extended look at their major FA acquisition. Per Mike Giardi (on Twitter), Smith-Schuster has been dealing with “physical ailments” throughout minicamp and has spoken to “how challenging this playbook is to learn.” The learning curve is one thing, but Giardi notes that the injuries are especially concerning since the Chiefs were forced to manage the veteran for the second half of last season. The Patriots will be counting on Smith-Schuster to replace some of the production lost when Meyers left for Las Vegas, and if there’s any doubt about his availability for all 17 games, there might be some added urgency to add to the depth chart.
DeAndre Hopkins Leaves Titans Without Deal
JUNE 13: Adding further to Howe’s Monday report of Hopkins’ Patriots visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that it will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. That two-day window will provide New England with an opportunity to outbid the Titans, and potentially convince the three-time All-Pro to avoid taking any further visits with interested teams. Plenty of attention will no doubt be paid to the Patriots’ actions in the coming days and their willingness to use their financial advantage relative to other Hopkins suitors.
JUNE 12: DeAndre Hopkins left his Titans visit without a deal. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter), “no deal was struck” between the free agent wideout and the Titans.
[RELATED: DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Patriots]
After “spending hours with the players and staff,” Hopkins left the Titans facility this evening. Thanks to Hopkins’ Instagram, we learned that the wideout apparently attended a concert at Nissan Stadium during his visit in Tennessee. His meeting “apparently went well,” per Russini, but the receiver intends to take more visits with teams before making a final decision.
Considering Tennessee was first on Hopkins’ free agency tour, it’s not shocking that he left Tennessee without a deal. It doesn’t sound like Hopkins has enough suitors to spark a true bidding war, at least one that could approach the $15MM salary that he’s seeking. The Titans were probably responsible with their financial offer to the receiver, and it would have required a significant pay day to get Hopkins’ signature this afternoon.
We learned last week that the Patriots were next on the list of Hopkins’ visits. Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the wideout is still planning to visit New England but the exact “logistics on the timing” are still being worked out. New England is currently sitting with almost twice as much effective cap space as Tennessee (per OverTheCap.com), and their financial advantage could come in handy if they’re only competing with the Titans for the free agent’s services.
If Hopkins does end up in New England, many assumed he’d take the roster spot from one of the team’s current receivers. ESPN’s Mike Reiss isn’t so sure. He notes that the organization has been bringing offseason signing JuJu Smith-Schuster along slowly, and sources tell the reporter that 2022 second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton is “managing a soft-tissue-related injury.” While a hypothetical Hopkins signing may still lead to one of the team’s notable WRs earning their walking papers during the preseason, it could at least buy someone like Kendrick Bourne or DeVante Parker some extra time to carve out a role.
Elsewhere, Hopkins’ former team may have a bit more financial wiggle room than we anticipated. Per veteran reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter), the Cardinals’ were left with $21.078MM in dead cap following Hopkins’ release. It was originally reported that the dead cap money was around $22.6MM.
Titans S Kevin Byard Not Requesting Trade After Denying Pay-Cut Request
Two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard made headlines back in March when he denied a request from the Titans to take a pay cut. Despite the obvious bumps this has the potential to cause in a working relationship, things appear to be copacetic between the two parties, according to Titan Insider. 
Questions arose as Byard spent the offseason away from the Titans, with many thinking his absence was a result of bad blood following the failed request. Byard refuted that claim as he addressed the media for the first time since the request in question.
“I want to address OTAs and things like that,” Byard opened with. “I had been in communications with the coaching staff really early in the offseason, before, obviously, all this news and all this stuff came out. I was going to have my own plan and be able to train on my own…I’m very comfortable with the defense, and I’ve stayed in communication with the coaches this entire offseason about any new stuff that we had, any nuances that were coming out within the defense.”
He went on to say that there was never any misunderstanding between himself and the coaches on when he would be there, making good on his plans to show up for the team’s minicamp this past week after missing OTAs. As he declined to confirm or deny, it’s unclear whether he will be present for Tennessee’s final round of voluntary OTAs in the coming week.
About the pay-cut request, he explained that he allowed those conversations to take place between his agent and the organization, namely general manager Ran Carthon. He refused to communicate his emotional reaction but told the media that it was very important to him to eventually be back with the team as the leader he is.
“I had a conversation with you guys on clean-out day saying how much I love this organization and how this is my legacy,” Byard recalled. “No matter what happens, I’m just grateful for every opportunity I get.”
NFL Front Office Rumors: Bears, Panthers, Falcons, Titans, Cowboys
A number of teams have made some recent adjustments to their front office staff. The Bears are one of those teams, making adjustments to both their scouting and analytics staffs, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
On the scouting side, Chicago named Drew Raucina as an area scout and Ryan Weese as a combine scout. Raucina was previously the team’s combine scout. He’s been with the Bears since 2018, starting as a scouting assistant and working his way up. Weese moves into the newly open combine scout role after joining the staff last year as a scouting assistant. Before coming to Chicago, Weese held a role at Montana State.
In analytics, the Bears announced Ryan Hubley as a football research analyst. Hubley joined the team last year as a football systems developer working under director of football analytics Krithi Chandrakasan. It sounds like he’ll remain in that department in an adjusted role.
Here are a few other front office changes from around the league:
- The Panthers are another one of the above-mentioned teams, making several adjustments to their scouting staff, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt. After coming to Carolina two years ago from Washington as the new director of college scouting, Cole Spencer has been promoted to director of player personnel, where he’ll work alongside recently hired vice president of player personnel Adrian Wilson, who will focus on pro scouting while Spencer retains his focus on college scouting. Former assistant director of college scouting Jared Kirksey will fill Spencer’s old role as college scouting director. Kirksey joined the team in 2021 as an area scout. Formerly the Southwest scout, Eli Montague will now cover the Southeast area, with Corey Fuller moving from the West area to cover the Southwest. Scouting intern Caden McCloughan and scouting assistant Jordan Trgovac have been promoted to area scouts, and former safety Juston Burris will be a scouting intern for the team this year. McCloughan will cover the West and Trgovac the Mid-Atlantic.
- Two Falcons scouts will be changing roles this year, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Former player personnel coordinator Rushell Harvey will now serve as the team’s Northeast area scout. Additionally, Ben Martinez, who has worked as a scout for the BLESTO service, will now be a pro scout for Atlanta. Both joined the Falcons in 2021. Lastly, Stratton also informs us that the team has parted ways with Peniel Jean, Atlanta’s former pro scout. Jean joined the team in 2017 and had served his most recent role for four years.
- The Titans will have a new name atop their analytics department after hiring Sarah Bailey as director of football research and development. Bailey comes over from Los Angeles, where she started in 2017 as a football analyst for the Rams before being promoted to manager – football analytics in 2020.
- Lastly, the Cowboys have added a new name to their front office, as well. After serving as director of football research for the Colts since 2016, John Park heads to Dallas to serve as director of strategic football operations, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder.
DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Titans
Since the Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins, the former All-Pro has been linked to several teams. Visits are now on the veteran wide receiver’s docket. Well, one visit is thus far.
The Titans have secured a meeting with Hopkins, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who notes the visit will take place Sunday (Twitter link). Mike Vrabel spent four seasons in Houston, serving as a Texans assistant ahead of his 2018 move to Nashville. New Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also coached Hopkins with the Texans. Kelly was on Bill O’Brien‘s staff for six of Hopkins’ seven seasons in Houston, spending the final year (2019) as the team’s OC.
Other teams remain in on Hopkins, Pelissero tweets, but the Titans landing the first visit should be considered important here. Tennessee has been in need at the receiver position essentially since trading A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft. The Brown trade — among other factors — preceded a rough season for the Titans’ aerial attack, and the team did not address the position much this offseason. Linked to wideouts during the draft, Tennessee did not select one until Round 7 (Colton Dowell).
At least six other AFC teams — the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens and Texans — have been connected to Hopkins, whom the Cardinals officially released May 31. The Bills and Chiefs discussed Hopkins trade terms with the Cardinals but saw the Ravens’ $15MM Odell Beckham Jr. guarantee alter those respective negotiations. The Pats have come up on multiple occasions, with the O’Brien component not being viewed as a non-starter, while Deshaun Watson has lobbied the Browns to pull the trigger on a reunion. The Cards cutting the 10-year veteran led to a run of rumors, but this visit development represents the most significant piece of Hopkins news since he became a free agent.
Tennessee chose Treylon Burks in Round 1 shortly after trading Brown to Philadelphia, and the team added UCLA slot player Kyle Philips in the 2022 fifth round. Both players missed time due to injury in 2022, with Philips missing the bulk of his rookie season. Both are back and expected to be key contributors — Burks especially — this season, but the Titans do not have much in the way of proven talent at the wideout spots. They added veteran role player Chris Moore and still roster Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Racey McMath. But as of the minicamp sector of the NFL calendar, this is one of the league’s worst receiving groups.
The Titans let Corey Davis walk in free agency two years ago, and Brown set the Eagles’ single-season receiving yardage record last year. Both were instrumental in Ryan Tannehill‘s mid-career resurgence, which helped the Titans move to three straight AFC playoff brackets. Last season’s plan careened off the rails quickly. Tennessee did not see a pass catcher eclipse 550 yards, and the team released its leading receiver from last year — Robert Woods, who has since joined the Texans. No one currently on Tennessee’s roster has totaled more than 500 receiving yards in a season.
Hopkins, who turned 31 on Tuesday, has dropped off the All-Pro tier over the past two years. Injuries and a six-game PED suspension changed Hopkins’ Arizona trajectory. After the Clemson product flirted with a fourth first-team All-Pro nod in 2020 (115 catches, 1,408 yards, six touchdowns), he did not surpass 800 receiving yards in 2021 or ’22. Hopkins missed 15 games over the past two seasons. While productive when available, Hopkins has seen recent absences undoubtedly affect his market.
Although Hopkins mentioned Buffalo and Kansas City as prime landing spots at multiple offseason junctures and named other non-Titans QBs as those he would most like to play with, he is still seeking Beckham-level money. That might be tougher to come by in June. Although the Titans cleared out plenty of cap space by cutting Woods and others before free agency, they hold just less than $8MM. It would not surprise if Hopkins took more visits, but the Titans will see if a match can be made this weekend.
Titans Work Out DL Michael Brockers
Thanks to a February Lions release, Michael Brockers has been a free agent for more than three months. The veteran defensive lineman, however, is receiving interest to join what would be a third NFL team.
The Titans brought in the former Rams and Lions defensive lineman for a recent workout, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. A former first-round pick, Brockers has 11 years’ experience. Though, he ended his Lions stay with a run of healthy scratches.
[RELATED: Titans To Meet With DeAndre Hopkins]
Last season marked a change of pace for Brockers, who had played in at least 14 games in each season from 2013-21. The durable defensive lineman started 16 games for the 2021 Lions, being traded just before the Rams began their Super Bowl LVI march. Brockers did log a start in Super Bowl LIII, however. For his career, the 32-year-old interior D-lineman has made 157 career starts.
Tennessee lost some of its D-line depth this offseason, seeing DeMarcus Walker and Mario Edwards depart in free agency. The Titans did not draft a D-lineman this year, and although they roster one of the game’s best — in the recently extended Jeffery Simmons — and still have veteran Denico Autry under contract, it would not surprise to see the team make a summer addition to its defensive front.
Dating back to the Rams’ St. Louis days, Brockers spent nine seasons as a starter for the Missouri- and California-based franchise. The former No. 14 overall pick arrived two years before Aaron Donald, moving into St. Louis’ starting lineup as a rookie. While Brockers spent the first several years of his career in Jeff Fisher‘s 4-3 scheme, he successfully transitioned to the role of a 3-4 end under Wade Phillips and then Brandon Staley. Once one of the better interior defensive lineman in the game, Brockers did not transition too well to Detroit’s defense. Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the league’s worst D-line regulars in 2021, and the Lions benched him after five starts last season.
Brockers has 29 career sacks and 64 tackles for loss. He posted five sacks and 10 TFLs during his final Rams season (2020). Tennessee has utilized a 3-4 scheme for many years, and while Brockers signed a big-ticket Rams extension back in 2016 and agreed to a three-year, $24MM Lions deal in 2021, the LSU alum is unlikely to be a costly addition for a Titans team that has Hopkins on its radar.
Titans DT Teair Tart Signs RFA Tender
The Titans will have one of their starting defenders in place in time for the start of minicamp today. Defensive tackle Teair Tart has signed his restricted free agent tender, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
Tennessee tendered him at the second-round level in March, leaving open the possibility of an offer sheet. As expected, nothing emerged on that front, though, and Tart will remain in the fold for the 2023 season. He will earn $4.3MM this year, but a continuation of his play to date could set himself up for more in the future.
The former UDFA joined the Titans in 2020, and he was used in a rotational capacity right away with a 31% snap share on defense. He took on starting duties the following season, seeing an uptick in usage along the way. His level of play in his second campaign increased expectations for he and the team heading into 2023, and Tart did not disappoint.
The 26-year-old was a full-time starter last season, and he set new career-highs across the board. Tart racked up 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, 12 QB pressures, one fumble recovery, one interception and six pass deflections. Those totals helped result in a new personal mark in terms of PFF evaluation, as well; the Florida International alum earned an overall grade of 73.1, which ranked 22nd among all DTs in the NFL.
Tart is in line to remain a first-teamer alongside Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons on the interior of the Titans’ defensive line. That unit helped Tennessee rank first in the league in run defense last season, and the team has responded by making only a minor depth addition (in the form of Jaleel Johnson) so far in free agency. Tart will look to replicate his success of the past two seasons, knowing a strong performance this season could yield another signficant jump in compensation in 2024.
2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The start of June has served as a key NFL financial period for decades. While teams no longer have to wait until after June 1 to make that cost-splitting cut designation, teams pick up the savings from those transactions today. With a handful of teams making post-June 1 cuts this year, here is how each team’s cap space (courtesy of OverTheCap) looks as of Friday:
- Chicago Bears: $32.58MM
- Carolina Panthers: $27.25MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $26.68MM
- New York Jets: $24.79MM
- Detroit Lions: $23.72MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $23.39MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $20.48MM
- Houston Texans: $16.81MM
- Green Bay Packers: $16.57MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $15.73MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $14.92MM
- New Orleans Saints: $14.27MM
- New England Patriots: $14.12MM
- Miami Dolphins: $13.9MM
- Cleveland Browns: $13.86MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $13.85MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $12.61MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $12MM
- Washington Commanders: $11.57MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $11.54MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $10.72MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $10.7MM
- Denver Broncos: $10.13MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $9.75MM
- Tennessee Titans: $7.99MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $7.94MM
- New York Giants: $3.82MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.37MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $1.49MM
- Buffalo Bills: $1.4MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $653K
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $402K
The Dolphins gained the most from a post-June 1 cut (Byron Jones) this year, creating $13.6MM in cap space from a deal that will spread out the cornerback’s dead money through 2024. But the Browns (John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) created more than $10MM in space as well.
The Jets’ number is a bit deceiving. They are still working on a restructure with Aaron Rodgers, as the trade acquisition’s cap number — after a Packers restructure — sits at just $1.22MM. In 2024, that number skyrockets to $107.6MM. Rodgers’ cap hit will almost definitely will climb before Week 1, so viewing the Jets along with the other teams north of $20MM in space is not entirely accurate.
Minnesota is moving closer to separating from its $12.6MM-per-year Dalvin Cook contract. The team already created some space by trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns. Cleveland, which is one of the teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins, added Smith and did so with help from its Deshaun Watson restructure. Watson was set to count $54.9MM against the Browns’ 2023 cap. That number is down to $19.1MM, though the Browns’ restructure both ballooned Watson’s mid-2020s cap figures to $63.9MM — which would shatter the NFL record — and added a 2027 void year.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles sit atop the league in dead money, with the Bucs — largely from their April 2022 Tom Brady restructure — checking in at $75.3MM here. That total comprises nearly 33% of the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The Rams, at more than $74MM, are not far behind. Despite the Bills and Chiefs — the teams most frequently tied to Hopkins — joining the Bucs and Rams near the bottom of the league in cap space, both AFC contenders also sit in the bottom five in dead money.
P Brett Kern Announces Retirement
One of this era’s most experienced punters, Brett Kern will wrap his career after 15 seasons. The former Broncos, Titans and Eagles specialist announced Thursday he is retiring.
Best known for his Tennessee tenure, Kern punted in 197 games with the AFC South team. Although Oilers legends Bruce Matthews and Elvin Bethea have that number beat for the franchise, Kern has logged the most games — by a considerable margin — during the organization’s Tennessee period. Punters occupy the top two spots on the Tennessee section of that list, with Kern surpassing the player he replaced (Craig Hentrich).
Kern, 37, finished his 13-year Titans career with three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro honor. The Titans gave promising UDFA Ryan Stonehouse the job out of training camp last year, and while Kern spent most of the season away from the game, he finished his career by helping the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. Kern replaced an injured Arryn Siposs in December for the Eagles, punting in six games. Though, Siposs’ recovery from a December injury ended up booting Kern off Philly’s active roster just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.
The Titans acquired Kern in 2009, claiming him a day after the Broncos waived him in-season. Kern signed three Titans extensions, including two deals that paid him at least $3MM per season. The most recent — a $12.65MM deal — came during the 2019 offseason. Despite playing the NFL’s second-lowest-paid regular position (ahead of long snapper), Kern earned more than $29MM during his career.
Kern led the NFL with 49.7 yards per punt in 2017 and finished four other seasons north of 47 years per boot. Following his three-year Pro Bowl run, Kern placed a career-high 59.5% of his punts inside the 20-yard line in 2020. He placed a career-high 39 punts inside the 20 in 2018.
Titans Sign Round 1 OL Peter Skoronski
The Titans now have their top 2023 draft choice under contract. No. 11 overall pick Peter Skoronski signed his four-year rookie pact (feat. the fifth-year option) Tuesday.
Skoronski is the 18th first-round pick from this year’s class to sign. The Titans will can keep the Northwestern product under contract through 2027 by extending it via the option in May 2026, but we are obviously a ways away from that decision. For now, the Titans will need to determine where Skoronski will play.
Viewed by most NFL evaluators as a guard, Skoronski nevertheless went off the board ahead of tackle Broderick Jones. The Bears passed on the Chicago-area product by taking Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright at No. 10, however. Skoronski suited up as a Northwestern tackle but drew pre-draft scrutiny due to his arm length. Ex-Wildcats teammate Rashawn Slater fell victim to criticism that his 33-inch arms were too short for him to be a successful NFL tackle. Lo and behold, Skoronski’s arm length is reportedly almost an inch shorter.
Still, Skoronski only played tackle at Northwestern, starting all three seasons before declaring for the draft after his junior year. He earned first-team All-Big Ten acclaim as a sophomore and junior, after landing on the conference’s second team in 2020. While Skoronski and Slater were technically teammates, Slater opting out of the 2020 season provided a clear runway for Skoronski to become the top Wildcats tackle.
The Titans’ offseason moves would point to Skoronski playing guard. They gave ex-Eagles first-rounder-turned-backup Andre Dillard a three-year, $29MM deal. Dillard stands to team with 2022 right tackle starter Nicholas Petit-Frere. The Titans signed ex-49ers guard Daniel Brunskill and retained 2022 guard starter Aaron Brewer, but the latter is on track to replace Ben Jones at center. This opens the door for Skoronski to work opposite Brunskill at guard.
The Titans have been using Peter Skoronski — the grandson of 1960s Packers left tackle Bob Skoronski — at both guard and tackle early in his offseason run. Where he lines up in training camp will obviously be a better indicator of the organization’s plans. Skoronski’s agreement leaves only second-rounder Will Levis as the only unsigned Titans draftee.