Report: New England Patriots Made Official Decision On Former Linebacker Jamie Collins

The New England Patriots have made an official decision regarding the contract of Jamie Collins. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network was the first to report about the talks New England was involved. It seems like they have reached an agreement. Jim McBride of The Boston Globe confirmed that the former patriot is coming back home.

We don’t have many details about the term they agreed to, but McBride added that Collins will join the team for some on-field work on Thursday.

The Patriots drafted Collins in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Southern Miss. He played three and a half seasons with the team and became a key player inside the linebacket squad. The linebacker was a Pro Bowler in 2015 and helped his team win Super Bowl XLIX.

During his tenure in Foxboro, Collins totaled 326 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and five interceptions. In the postseason, Collins added 50 tackles to go along with three sacks, eight quarterback hits and two interceptions. 

New England traded Collins in the midst of the 2016 season. He played with the Browns up until this offseason. 2018 was his best season, and he finished it with 104 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, interception and four passes defended. Why did the Browns release him after such a wonderful season?

Cleveland wanted to free up some cap space. Collins was due to account for $11.75 million next season and $13.75 in the final year of his four year deal worth $50 million. The former Patriot signed his deal with the Browns in 2017.

The Patriots wanted to get Collins a lot sooner. Right after the big news about Collins’ new deal with the Patriots, Mike Giardi of the NFL Network said that the Patriots tried to trade for him in a deal with the Browns around the NFL Trade Deadline last year.

Patriots players will be more than happy to see their former team back on the field. Dont’a Hightower and Devin McCourty were ready about it in March, right after the Browns released Collins. The team will now have to clear a spot for him.