New England Patriots rumors are heating up on the eve of free agency, but the biggest move from the perennial AFC power may have nothing to do with the free agent wire.
Reports out of New England say that the team is looking at cornerback Darrelle Revis in a potential trade. The main stumbling block would be the big contract that comes with Revis, but Boston Globe writer Ben Volin envisions a scenario where the team can land Revis.
He said that if the New England Patriots do trade for Darrelle Revis he would have a bigger salary cap hit than quarterback Tom Brady, but the team would be able to convert his $13 million salary into a guaranteed bonus. That would put his salary cap hit at $8 million.
The Patriots may also be looking for a deal for backup quarterback Ryan Mallet, with reports that the Houston Texans were interesting. Those reports were eventually shot down, but the team could still be looking at their options for him.
Other New England Patriots rumors center on free agency, though the biggest news is about subtraction and not addition. Both Aqib Talib and Julian Edelman have been testing the free agent waters, with an understanding that both would come back to the Patriots after the “legal tampering period” ends and before actual free agency starts on Tuesday at 4 pm ET.
The team would obviously love to retain Talib and especially Edelman, who was one of only a handful of effective targets for Tom Brady on a makeshift offense, but not at the risk of overpaying them.
Otherwise, the free agency period could be relatively quiet for the New England Patriots. Two of their reported targets — defensive tackle Red Bryant (Jaguars) and defensive end Everson Griffen (Vikings) — have already reached agreements.
But New England Patriots rumors are difficult to place, as coach Bill Belichick is notoriously difficult to figure out, as he proved with moves like trading Richard Seymour or signing Tim Tebow as a backup quarterback.