Hey Bill, if we’re getting the band back together, maybe text Chicago about Akiem Hicks while you’re at it?
With the Patriots defense nursing a hangover-grade 27th-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed, the wins lately may have been a welcome distraction from a defense that’s pretty clearly either still getting their sea legs or...(gulp)...just might not be that good. Any kind of firepower in the front-seven that helps the Patriots get back to the Belichick defenses of old that’d rip the ball out of your hands and then run around the sidelines going THEY AIN’T GOT IT would surely be appreciated.
Still, though, this is weird: NBC Sports Boston is reporting that the Patriots have had “internal discussions” (as opposed to what...external discussions?) about reacquiring a dude who was at one point viewed as a key building block for the rest of the 2010s – linebacker Jamie Collins. Er, sorry, Jamie Collins SR now.
Also here, the Patriots have discussed the possibility of a Jamie Collins trade https://t.co/eHsDT59gjO
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 28, 2018
Much like a Stephen King movie, this is weird on many levels. One, Collins obviously got shipped out of town a couple years ago for a third-rounder and about 30 seconds after that, reports came out that the coaching staff was pissed that he kept improvising and not sticking to the play call. Second, Jamie got knocked out for the season last year due to a knee injury, which, given the injury records of the Pats linebacker corps as is, is not great. Third, he hasn’t exactly been tearing it up on the field either - Pro Football Focus graded Jamie’s 2017 season as his worst ever. They graded him out at a 42.1 for last year, which, when your PFF grade is approximately the same as the temperature outside, that’s never good.
Finally, there’s that whole cap hit thing after Cleveland extended Jamie for $50,000,000 over 4 years, which seems way too rich for the Patriots to take on right now, given that they only have *checks @patscap* $5,262,629 in space at the moment, and that’s after re-structuring Gilmore. So I did what anyone would do and hit up the Pulpit’s resident salary cap wunderkind Brian Phillips for some deets.
(This is what happens when you ask for a “rough” estimate):
If this trade goes down, the Pats would take on a $6,088,235 as a cap hit, with $5,863,235 of that being salary. That’d mean there’s some work to be done if the trade goes down, but it’s certainly not impossible if Bill thinks getting Collins back in blue and white is worth it.
What do you guys think? Should New England try to snag Collins, or leave it alone?
Poll
Should the Patriots try to get Jamie Collins back?
This poll is closed
-
7%
Yes, definitely
-
38%
Yes, if the price is right
-
53%
Nope, we’re done with him