Ever since the Patriots re-hired offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in January, there has been a multitude of speculation that wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, who saw tremendous success in 2010 and 2011 under McDaniels, could join the Patriots.

After all, the Patriots showed interest in Lloyd before last season's trade deadline and prior to when the Patriots even hired McDaniels, Lloyd said that he would consider following McDaniels wherever he went.

Today, that speculation has finally turned into something tangible. During an interview on PFT Live earlier this afternoon, Lloyd directly expressed an interest in joining the Patriots:

"Yes, I find that very interesting. I would like to entertain that and see where that goes. There is no bones about that. I've been very successful in Josh McDaniels' offense. I really admire Tom Brady. I admire that organization and how they run things over there. I'd definitely be interested in hearing how I could possibly fit into that equation."

Lloyd also talked about the possibility of re-joining the Rams and really seemed open to anything. While joining the Patriots seems like a real interest of his, he doesn't seem set on one destination. So what does this mean?

Well, if the Patriots want to go get Lloyd and they can match some of his more intriguing offers, the "McDaniels factor" could certainly be the tipping point to get Lloyd to New England. Of course, the price would have to be right and we don't know if the Patriots will truly still be interested (as they were in October).

This isn't exactly a surprise, but Patriots free-agent-to-be running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has reportedly been in "on and off" contract negotiations with the Patriots. This news comes via his agent Joel Segal, who made an appearance on "PFT Live" earlier today:

His agent Joel Segal joined PFT Live Tuesday and said that there have been "on and off" contract talks with the Patriots. New England traditionally doesn't like to break the bank at running back (Corey Dillon an exception) and they drafted two running backs last year: Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen.

Green-Ellis is a rock solid player, but not a special talent that will attract huge dollars. We'd guess that the Patriots would welcome keeping "The Law Firm" at their price, but it wouldn't be surprising if Green-Ellis can find a higher price elsewhere.

Green-Ellis isn't exactly a game breaker, but I think the Patriots highly value his style of play - he simply avoids the big mistakes. He's a solid starter in this league, and he's still relatively young (will turn 27 in July, has just 510 career carries). If the Patriots can get him to sign for about $3 million a year - I think it's a win-win for both sides.

Former Patriots and Vikings receiver Randy Moss is seeking a return to professional football. Earlier this morning, Moss announced via his UStream channel that he would be returning to the NFL in 2012. Now, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that the Patriots could be interested, and that they've been told that the Patriots "still like him." Florio also states that the Patriots are the "most obvious destination" and that we wouldn't be surprised if "teams lined up quickly" to kick the tires of Moss.

Obviously, this isn't anything concrete, but it is something to speculate about. Ever since the Patriots shipped Moss away during the 2010 season and he was waived by the Vikings just a month later, fans have been enamored with the idea of getting him back.

As you probably know, Moss retired from football prior to this season, but continued to be open about his desire to return to the Patriots. If the Patriots have a mutual interest in Moss, as their article somewhat suggests they've heard, the move would make some sense.

Regardless of your personal opinion of Moss, he showed at the beginning of the 2010 season that he can still command attention deep (which in turn can open up things underneath). Of course, Moss turned 35 today, so it's easy to question how much he still has in the tank. However, if he still is in good shape and is willing to take a significant pay reduction, he could be that deep threat that the Patriots have been missing since he was traded away in 2010.

Well, we have the first "surprise" release of the 2012 NFL offseason.

Earlier this afternoon, the Oakland Raiders announced the release of veteran cornerback Stanford Routt. Yes, the same Stanford Routt that the Raiders had signed to a five year contract worth more than $50 million just months ago. The Raiders have a new G.M. in Reggie McKenzie, and likely decided that Routt's contract was too rich.

The Patriots could be heavily involved in the market for defensive backs this offseason. There are a ton of good cornerbacks who should be available via free agency, but it looks like Routt will be the first to hit the market (he will officially be a free agent tomorrow). The question obviously becomes, should the Patriots consider pursuing Routt?

I think Routt could be an interesting name to watch, but it obviously all depends on his asking price. If he is heavily pursued as expected, the Patriots will probably sit back and wait for the second round of top cornerbacks in March. Routt plays the left cornerback position - and the Patriots already have a pretty good left cornerback in Devin McCourty. Of course, the Patriots could move McCourty to safety permanently or play Routt mostly in the slot (he played a lot of slot cornerback in 2010 and 2009).

In 16 games this season, Routt was targeted 94 times, and allowed 48 completions. While he intercepted four passes, he also allowed nine touchdowns. Routt turns 29 in July and certainly has plenty left in the tank. Again, I doubt the Patriots sign him, but he could be an intriguing option.

What do you think?

With Deion Branch's contract set to expire at the end of the 2011 season and receiver Chad Ochocinco not exactly playing up to expectations, the New England Patriots might be in the market for a #2 receiver this offseason.

When news came earlier today that Josh McDaniels would be returning to the Patriots, one name that immediately came to mind was Brandon Lloyd, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Lloyd has experienced tremendous success under McDaniels in a little more than two seasons. In 2010, Lloyd set a career highs in receptions (77), yards (1,448), and touchdowns (11). He led the NFL in receiving and was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. This year, McDaniels, with the Rams, helped convince his new team to trade for Lloyd. Lloyd experienced moderate success, with 51 catches for 683 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games.

The Patriots have previously expressed interested in Lloyd. The Patriots were in discussions to acquire him from the Broncos prior to the trade deadline this year. Ultimately, he ended up in St. Louis. But with Josh McDaniels now landing back in New England, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to think that he could land in New England, especially when considering what Lloyd recently said to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"I can't even lie about that. I'm tied to McDaniels. He uses me differently than other offensive coordinators used me in my entire career. He uses me as an every-play receiver. The short game, mid-range game, gimmick passes, deep balls. I do everything in this offense as opposed to other coordinators who would just run me off as the deep guy; run me off into double coverage and then say I'm not open. So I really like how Josh uses me within the offense. I'm extremely comfortable in the offense."

Lloyd then continued:

"Probably No. 1 (as a factor), because I want to be successful, and I want to earn whatever money I'm making. I want to be used in ways where I feel comfortable and I can be successful. And Josh knows how to do that."

Bringing a player such as Brandon Lloyd into the picture would certainly be a slam dunk move for the Patriots. Lloyd has already had tremendous success in McDaniels' schemes, still has plenty in the tank (turns 31 in July), and may event take a discount to join McDaniels in New England. Lloyd can do a bit of everything - he can separate short or deep down the field, make spectacular grabs, and turn short throws into long gains.

All of this being said, what would be your opinion of Brandon Lloyd joining the Patriots in the 2012 offseason?

As news developed over the past week that Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien was likely to leave the Patriots for an outside position, many have speculated that the Patriots could bring back a familiar face: former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Last night, it was confirmed that Bill O'Brien would be leaving the team for the vacant head coaching position at Penn State. This morning, Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Patriots (and the Chiefs) have requested permission to talk to McDaniels.

Assuming the Patriots view McDaniels as an offensive coordinator candidate, the Rams could deny the Patriots permission to interview him since the job would be a lateral move.

The Rams fired head coach Steve Spagnuolo on Monday, but McDaniels remains under contract for the 2012 season. St. Louis seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach if their new head coach would want to retain McDaniels, but reportedly won't retain him if leading candidate Jeff Fisher is hired.

The next step in this process will be to wait and see whether or not the Rams grant permission for the Patriots to speak to McDaniels. If they do, and the interest between New England and McDaniels is mutual, then I expect things to move quickly. McDaniels is still a valued coaching commodity, and if the Patriots stall, he could end up going to a team like Kansas City (don't forget that McDaniels had a lot of success with quarterback Matt Cassel in 2008, and tried to acquire him from the Patriots in his first year with Denver in the 2009 offseason).

Mike Reiss believes the Patriots will make a roster move that involves Jermaine Cunningham and Markell Carter either tomorrow before the game, or early next week.

Ian Rapoport was smart enough to retweet one of Carter's comments earlier today:

Things just got real... Real fast. But [I've] been waiting for this day. I promise you twitter fam #hardworkpaysoff

One can only assume that when a practice squad player (who turned down an opportunity to sign with another team) says that he's been "waiting for this day", that it means he's being pulled up to the big leagues. Jermaine Cunningham was placed "Doubtful" on this week's injury report with a hamstring injury- and the hammy is never a good injury in New England. It's the equivalent of the mid-season Foxborough Flu.

Carter's been receiving numerous accolades as practice player of the week and has bulked up to NFL-size and strength over the course of the season. Don't be surprised if he gets the call.

A familiar face at safety has just entered the free agent market.  The Philadelphia Eagles have announced the release of veteran safety Jarrad Page today.

Page, who recently turned 27, recorded 37 tackles in six games (five starts) for the Eagles this year.  You probably better remember him from 2010, when the Patriots acquired him from the Kansas City Chiefs via trade.  In ten games for New England, Page played as the fourth or fifth safety - coming onto the field in sub-packages and recording 12 tackles and two interceptions.

In the offseason, the Patriots tendered him at the second round level.  Unfortunately, that tender was under the old CBA rules.  Under the new agreement, Page became an unrestricted free agent and decided to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, Jarrad Page is back on the market.  And it just turns out that one of the Patriots' biggest needs is at safety.  The team released Brandon Meriweather, Brandon McGowan, and James Sanders in the preseason and have since sustained injuries to players such as Pat Chung and Josh Barrett.

Page joins a relatively thin free agent market at safety, one that includes former Saint Darren Sharper.  While the Patriots worked out Sharper in August and chose not to sign him, they could feel different about bringing in Page.  After all, they must have valued him somewhat if they chose to assign him that second round tender.

What are your thoughts - should the Patriots bring back Jarrad Page (assuming he clears waivers)?