Vince Wilfork is asking the New England Patriots for his release and if they grant him his wish, the star could have the NY Giants, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and NY Jets as potential landing spot options as a free agent, as all those teams could use to beef up the front line.
Wilfork is a prime player for the Patriots and after being injured last season due to a torn Achilles, he could hit the market after asking for his release. According to ESPN.com, Wilfork as requested the Patriots release him after a decade with the team and it comes as he will be getting a $7.5 million salary and counting for $11.6 million on the cap next season. The news comes as the Patriots signed another elite defender in Darrelle Revis and now they could be without one of their premier players for the future.
The report says that the Patriots asked Wilfork about reworking his deal and now that may have led to his asking for a release, as he may not want to change up his deal. Wilfork would be a top option for teams to sign on the market, as he has been to the Pro Bowl five times during his career and while he is 32-years-old, he has been relatively durable apart from last season when he got hurt. Wilfork is a tackle and that could be perfect for the Giants, as they lost Linval Joseph to the Minnesota Vikings and he could slide in nicely alongside Cullen Jenkins.
The Giants like to have size and athleticism up the middle and adding Wilfork could take the sting away from losing Joseph, who was one of the top free agents for the Giants and they could not retain him after he signed a $30 million deal with the Vikings. The Giants had hoped that Joseph would remain, but they knew he would cost a nice amount of money and that is why they let him go and it came after the team drafted him in the second round and he has been a key player since being taken in 2010 for New York.
Joseph is only 25 years old and the Giants need to replace his production up front and he had a very good season in 2013, putting up nearly 60 tackles with three sacks and he was very durable as well, missing just one game for the team over the last three years. Revis is now the highest paid Patriots player after signing with the team and Wilfork could be on his way out as he moves in and another team that could look at him is the Chicago Bears, as they may lose Henry Melton and that could be a nice grab to make up for that.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Jets are in the mix as well and after missing out on Revis, the Jets may try and pull the same move on the Patriots by snagging Wilfork. Even though he is coming off of an injury, Wilfork is one of the best players in the league at his position and he should get some attention on the market.