The New England Patriots got a head start in free agency over the weekend, making a few key moves to ready their roster for 2015 and the push to defend their Super Bowl win. The Patriots very rarely make marquee moves in the offseason to sign big-named players, but over the past few years that has not been the case. 2015 looks to be no different as the first thing the Patriots opted to do was re-sign one of their top players.
According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, the New England Patriots have re-sign safety Devin McCourty who was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. McCourty was getting a tone of interest on the free agent market as teams like the Giants, Eagles and Falcons were all hoping to strike a deal with the secondary star. New England heard that interest loud and clear and signed McCourty to a long-term contract of five years and $47.5 million as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Now the focus falls on Darrelle Revis who was the big get last offseason. Many believed that the Patriots could not keep both players, but the contract for McCourty might not factor in to a deal for Revis. The Patriots signed McCourty to a contract that is not a huge cap burden. They can pair that with the restructured deal of Tom Brady, the release of Vince Wilfork and the potential release of Danny Amendola and be able to sign Revis over teams like the Jets who are pushing for a reunion.
"I told him the same thing I feel like he would tell me: 'I want him back here, I want to play with him, he's a great teammate and the best corner in the game.' But I also know it's a business and I would never hit him up and try to pressure him into doing something," McCourty said, via Comcast SportsNewEngland. "After going through this the last two months, to say it's a business is kind of the easiest thing. This is crazy. He understands even more than me. I already know he's going to do what's best for him."
If the Patriots can get Revis, players like Amendola are gone. Several NFL sources have been speculating this move for a year now and there could be a market for the slot receiver if available. The Patriots are getting linked to deals for both Andre Johnson and Percy Harvin and could find Amendola expendable.
