On December 14, following an arrest and charge for driving under the influence of alcohol, the Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver Michael Floyd. The former first round draft pick (2012) had to pass through the waiver wire, and only one team put a claim on him: the New England Patriots.
Floyd appeared in two regular season games and one playoff contest for the eventual Super Bowl champions, catching five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. However, he was inactive for both the AFC title game and the Super Bowl. Consequently, the market appeal of the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent already appears to be low.
Today’s news broken by FOX 10 Phoenix hurts his stock even more. According to the report, Floyd plead guilty to extreme DUI and was sentenced to 24 days in jail, which started yesterday, and an additional 96 days of house arrest. Furthermore, he will serve 30 hours of community services, attend alcohol abuse courses and pay a fine of $5,000.
The Patriots were likely aware of the possibility of Floyd having to serve jail time, so today’s report should not have caught the team off guard. It remains to be seen how the team approaches the impending free agent, but seeing New England and the rest of the league play it slow in the early stages of free agency would not be a surprise.