After three seasons with the New England Patriots, wide receiver Chris Hogan recently signed a one-year deal worth up to $2 million with the Carolina Panthers. Hogan opted to leave the Patriots after the team did not express interest in keeping him. Hogan, despite his contribution to the Patriots’ success, became expendable after the team took wide receiver N’Keal Harry with the No. 32 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite the situation, Hogan said he has no ill feelings towards the Patriots, understanding that the move was clearly a business decision.
In his three-year stay with the Patriots, Hogan recorded 1,651 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in three years with the Patriots. During his stint with the Patriots, Hogan also made it to the Super Bowl every year, winning twice.
With the Panthers, Hogan will now be receiving passes from dynamic quarterback Cam Newton, who will try to bounce back following a disappointing performance last season as the team missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record. Hogan had his first taste of Panthers football in the three-day minicamp and a close look at Newton, who threw on a limited basis at minicamp as he is still recovering from a shoulder surgery. When asked to compare Newton with his former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Hogan said the two signal-callers are “totally different players" when it comes to their day-to-day routine and approach to practice.
Hogan said Brady always has businesslike approach
Hogan said Newton is more kidlike during practice as he runs 50 yards while yelling to greet a teammate with a hip-bump following a big play. As for Brady, Hogan said his former quarterback always takes the businesslike approach. However, Hogan said the two quarterbacks have something in common: they both have competitive nature and both like winning.
“When it comes time to strap on the pads and play football, their focus is on one goal and that’s winning football games,” said Hogan. The Patriots will have a chance to test Hogan in a Panthers uniform when they clash in the third preseason game on August 23.
Nick Caserio stays with Patriots
Nick Caserio will remain as the Patriots’ director of player personnel after all after the Houston Texans withdrew their intention to hire him as their new general manager.
The Texans made the decision after Houston team owner Cal McNair talked to Patriots team owner Robert Kraft. According to McNair, Kraft told him about certain terms in Caserio’s contract with the Patriots. “Once we were made aware of these contract terms, I informed Mr. Kraft that we would stop pursuing Nick,” McNair said in a statement. After the Texans aired their intention to stop pursuing Caserio, the Patriots also withdrew their tampering chargers against Houston. Kraft, for his part, praised McNair for the way he handled the Caserio situation.