Last week, former Tennessee Titans CB Jason McCourty signed with the Cleveland Browns, ending what has been an annual attempt by fans to have Jason pair with his identical twin brother and New England Patriots FS Devin McCourty.
Devin was open about his interest in bringing Jason into the fold, but knew that the Patriots weren’t going to be a good fit because it would be difficult for Jason to break the starting lineup.
“I think first and foremost, he has to do what’s kind of right for his family and where he could actually play and be out there playing,” Devin said back in April. “He’s not at the point in his career where he just wants to sit on the bench. He wants to get a chance to get out there and compete.”
When the Patriots signed CB Stephon Gilmore and retained CB Malcolm Butler, there was no longer room to add another cornerback to a crowded room with younger talent in CB Eric Rowe and CB Cyrus Jones.
But while there wasn’t room for Jason, the Patriots were still willing to kick the tires on Devin’s brother.
"I think there was definitely mutual interest," McCourty said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. "Me and Devin have never hid the fact that us playing together would be a dream come true. My mom kind of has hinted at that since we both got into the league. She knows it would be a lot easier only having to travel to one city during the season.
"I think there was definitely mutual interest, but to be honest, the Patriots are kind of set at cornerback. They have a lot of talent in that room. There really wasn't room for me. Me and Dev talked about that and that's just the way of the league. I'm excited about the opportunity I have in Cleveland to work with those guys."
Jason joins Joe Haden and Jamar Taylor in what theoretically should be a talented group of players, but has underachieved on the field in recent years.