Patriots fans in disbelief over DeAndre Hopkins' future following DeVante Parker's $33M deal - "Dhop gone"

Landing DeAndre Hopkins might be challenging after DeVante Parker signed a contract extension with the New England Patriots.

A Redditor on the Patriots community shared NFL Network National Insider Ian Rapoport's tweet about Parker's signing.

Rapoport's update reads:

“The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One, Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE.”

This deal had another Redditor commenting:

“Dhop gone”

Another Patriots fan chimed in:

“Time to jump to conclusions on what this means about Hopkins”

Here are the best comments from the Patriots subreddit:

Comment by u/thebochman from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/augowl_ from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/ThatInception from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/LiveFromNewYork95 from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/MacDaddyJones from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/dei1c3 from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/jeff8073x from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Comment by u/joeycrose from discussion [Rapoport] Sources: The #Patriots & WR DeVante Parker reached an agreement on a 3-year new contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. Parker finds a home in NE. in Patriots

Notably, DeAndre Hopkins visited the Patriots earlier this month. While he had an excellent trip to Foxborough, both parties haven't agreed to terms as of yet.

Meanwhile, some Patriots fans shared that Parker's new contract gives the Patriots $3.7 million in cap savings. However, according to the PatsCap Twitter account, that figure isn't accurate.

Every dollar the Patriots could save is important, considering they only have $14 million in cap space before Parker's long-term deal. That amount is right within the contract Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Baltimore Ravens, the value that Hopkins reportedly seeks from his next squad.

Therefore, reducing the Patriots' cap space lessens the chances of getting the All-Pro wideout.

Last season, DeVante Parker had 539 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. Meanwhile, DeAndre Hopkins had 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games.

However, Parker has delivered good results when healthy. His 11.5 yards per target is second-best among wide receivers with at least 45 targets in 2022. He, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton could be a solid receiving corps when not dealing with injuries.

More teams remain interested in DeAndre Hopkins

The Patriots must pull off a miracle to get Hopkins after re-signing Parker. It doesn't entirely close the door, but getting that result would take much more salary cap gymnastics.

Making it perhaps even more challenging is that more teams are reportedly interested in signing the free-agent wideout. Initially, only the Tennessee Titans were the other team doing a serious push for Hopkins.

This time, sources share that the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers are also in the mix for the five-time Pro Bowler.

Signing with the Browns would reunite Hopkins with Deshaun Watson, his teammate with the Houston Texans from 2017 to 2019. Furthermore, the Browns have $16.8 million in cap space.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are looking for a top-tier wide receiver after trading DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears.

DeAndre Hopkins could slot in that role and bolster a receiving unit with DJ Chark, Adam Thielen and Terrace Marshall Jr. The Panthers also have $26.5 million in cap space.

It will be interesting to see where Hopkins lands up next season.