Patriots' Mac Jones responds to DeAndre Hopkins interest

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones sounds ready to embrace free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins with open arms. 

"I think that’s definitely a hypothetical, but I think DeAndre is a great player," Jones told reporters on Monday, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "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."

Jones is coming off a disappointing sophomore pro season but has received a fresh start working under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. Earlier this offseason, the Patriots allowed wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to reach free agency and then replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster. 

Hopkins is spending the start of this week visiting with the Tennessee Titans but is scheduled to meet with the Patriots in the coming days. According to Patriots beat reporter Dakota Randall of NESN, New England head coach Bill Belichick confirmed Monday the organization has communicated with the three-time First-Team All-Pro selection who turned 31 years old last week. 

"We just know that we want to win and I know that all the guys feel the same way," Jones continued on Monday. "But I’ve been really pleased with the playmakers that we have on our team. We’ve come out here and really bought into the system. That’ll really show in training camp, preseason and stuff. It’s sometimes hard to show that out here [during the offseason program]." 

Tim Graham of The Athletic reported on June 1 that Hopkins "wants a deal similar" to the one-year contract worth $15M guaranteed with up to $3M in incentives Odell Beckham Jr. received from the Baltimore Ravens in April. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggested last Monday that Hopkins was looking for "more than the market will justify" and it's unclear if either the Titans or Patriots will match Hopkins' reported asking price. 

As for Jones, he is attempting to prove his worth to Belichick following an offseason filled with rumors about their alleged rocky relationship. What is known is that the Patriots must make a decision about the fifth-year option attached to Jones' rookie contract next spring, so it's logical he would welcome any and all weapons ahead of the preseason.