The New England Patriots have won six Super Bowls in franchise history and each one produces a ring. Few players get the opportunity to earn this prestigious jewelry, making it one of football’s most coveted prizes.
But there are some players who have a different opinion. A recent event from Heritage Auction saw a total of 17 world championship rings sold.
Reasons for selling a Super Bowl ring can range from a bad time in a player’s career or a financial hardship, but in the case of one former Patriots player, it's a sign of how his relationship with the team ended on bad terms.
LeGarrette Blount Sells 2014 Super Bowl Ring Over Bad Feelings With Patriots
According to MassLive’s Nick O’Malley, former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount listed his 2016 Super Bowl ring as part of the Heritage Auction event with an asking price of $122,000. The price is a 27% markup on Martellus Bennett’s final selling price of $88,125 for his 2016 Super Bowl ring, but that whopping ask is likely why Blount's ring's went unsold during this latest round and is still available at this moment.
Blount was a three-time Super Bowl champion and had his best season in 2016, running for 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns to help the Patriots win the title. Although Blount was looking to stay with the Patriots as he hit free agency, New England opted to move on with the trio of Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and James White and Blount moved on to sign a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
While his numbers dropped to 766 yards and two touchdowns, the Eagles went on to face the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. After running for 90 yards and a touchdown in the 41-33 victory, Blount admitted how much leaving New England stung and called it a “perfect” victory before the start of the 2018 season.
“The way things ended there was not to my liking,” Blount said during an episode of NFL Network’s America’s Game series that documented the 2017 Eagles. “I had told them how bad I wanted to be there and how much I wanted to stay there and I didn’t want to leave and they couldn’t get a deal done for me. I just feel like they didn’t respect me at all. …[Beating the Patriots] was perfect. It was perfect.”
Blount later reiterated his stance during a 2020 appearance on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, stating that the Eagles championship ring meant more than either of his titles with the Patriots.
“So that was by far – well not by far, but it was definitely my favorite. It was bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter because it was New England. It was a really, really, really fun Super Bowl. I enjoyed every moment of that season.”
The Patriots now have a head coach that has a few championship rings of his own and the victories clearly mean more as Mike Vrabel looks to return the franchise to its championship standard. But Blount appears ready to put his time with the Patriots behind him and sell his ring to someone who values it more than he does.