Why the New England Patriots should re-sign athletic veteran linebacker Jamie Collins.
The New England Patriots took a waiver on bringing back athletic linebacker Jamie Collins on a one-year deal following his stint with the Cleveland Browns and it worked out.
As both Bill Belichick and Collins seemingly put the linebacker’s first stint in New England behind them, mutual admiration gleamed throughout the season as Collins performed at a high level with some monster games as a key reason as to why the Patriots’ defense ascended into one of the best in the league.
Interceptions, forced fumbles, sacks, key tackles, Jamie Collins did it all in his second stint in New England earning the following praise from Belichick, who was quick to ship him out of town back in 2016.
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"“Jamie’s done a great job for us. He’s a versatile player as we all know, he can do a lot of different things and he’s made tackles, he’s rushed the passer, he’s turned the ball over, intercepted passes, been around the ball a lot,” Belichick said back in October, via Cleveland.com. “Excellent communicator, he does a great job of coordinating and organizing. A lot of things we do defensively, especially when he’s in the middle, on the outside some too but particularly when he’s playing the inside spots with some of our other linebackers, so he’s able to play at the end of the line, inside. He’s helped us in the kicking games, he’s done a nice job for us on special teams when we’ve asked him to do that. He’s a very explosive, powerful guy (who’s) very athletic and smart and instinctive.”"
In all it was Collins’ understanding of the system and buying into that system that made him such a valuable pickup last offseason. With fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy set to make some serious dough this offseason, keeping Jamie Collins around is a higher priority for the New England Patriots.
Bring Jamie Collins back
If Bill Belichick views Kyle Van Noy expendable, it will be because he brings back Jamie Collins on a longer deal.
With 81 combined tackles, 7.0 sacks and three interceptions, there may be another team out there willing to offer Jamie Collins some big money, but after already cashing in with Cleveland, will being a key part of a Belichick’s defense be of more value to him at this point in his career?
One can only hope so.
Due his versatility and athleticism, Belichick will want him back at the right price. If the two sides can’t work out a longer-term deal, then expect the two sides to meet on another one-year deal.
Given the fact that Collins did slow down towards the tail end of the season, it may be worth him sticking around in a system he knows, especially if the New England Patriots are prepping for another Super Bowl run in bringing back the key piece to the offense in Tom Brady.
In summary, please re-sign Jamie Collins.