History Repeating? — Collins Reunion Should Interest Patriots

The two-time ex-Patriot has been released by the Detroit Lions. Should the Pats have interest in the linebacker’s services?

Linebacker Jamie Collins will soon have a new NFL home. 

Despite rumors of the 31-year-old having been placed on the trading block, the Detroit Lions have decided to release the veteran.

According to head coach, Dan Campbell, the team spent the better part of the past week attempting to trade Collins. With a shortage of suitors for his services, Detroit opted to release the nine-year veteran, without receiving compensation in return.

Collins was in his second year of the three year deal he signed with the club heading into the 2020 season. In his first year with the Lions, he started 14 games. He also started the first two games of this season. However, recent developments saw the team opt to provide more playing time to their younger core at the position. As a result, Collins’ days became numbered in Detriot.

Following his release on Tuesday, Collins immediately becomes a free agent. Therefore, he is now able to sign with any team that might be interested in adding some experience to their linebacking corps. While trading his contract may have been problematic, and thus a deterrent from making a trade with Detroit, Collins’ release cleared much of those financial constraints. He will make a fully-guaranteed $8.8M total from Detroit this year ($5M bonus, $3.8M salary).

As indicated by ESPN’s Field Yates, Collins can now prioritize ‘fit and familiarity’ when looking for a new home.

Enter the New England Patriots?

While linebacker may have been considered a position of strength for the Patriots, they unexpectedly may be in need of some assistance. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who has performed well thus far in 2021, sat out for a notable portion of the second half of Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints with an undisclosed injury. Should Bentley be forced to miss time, the Pats may have interest in bringing Collins back to the Foxboro fold.

While nothing is considered imminent, Collins would be returning for third tour of duty with the Patriots. He was drafted by New England in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2013 draft. During his first stint with the Pats, Collins tallied 206 solo tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks across 50 games (41 starts).

In 2016, Collins was traded to the Cleveland Browns mid-season. He played in 30 games with the team, posting 204 tackles and seven sacks. The 29 year-old was released by Cleveland on March 6. At that time, the Browns also had tried to trade him but could not find any suitors.

In May 2019, Collins agreed to a deal which would reunite him with head coach Bill Belichick in New England. In his second stint with the Pats, Collins looked more comfortable in the team’s defensive schemes. He finished the season with 58 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, 7 sacks, and 3 interceptions with one touchdown, before signing his free agent deal with the Lions.

At his best, Collins is still one of the more dynamic talents in the league. He can still provide capable contributions as an off-ball starter, as well as explosiveness at the linebacker position on third down. He is also quite adept at playing alongside current Pats linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy. Should the Patriots wish to re-enlist his services, they will undoubtedly hope that Collins’ familiarity with their system could help to provide additional stability to the Patriots defense.

…especially, with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set to storm the Foxboro Fortress (a.k.a. Gillette Stadium) on Sunday, October 3.