The New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions and heading into 2015, Darrelle Revis is the top priority with players like Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Stephen Gostkowski, Patrick Chung and Akeem Ayers hitting free agency and this comes as Danny Amendola could be released and the team may target Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Ingram or Frank Gore this offseason.
The Patriots have a team option on Revis and his deal has a $25 million cap hit, which means they will likely negotiate or re-sign him after releasing him. The Patriots want to keep Revis and Revis reportedly wants to stay in New England, but he also wants to be paid like an All-Pro cornerback. According to ESPN.com, if Revis hits the market, the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills will be interested in signing him along with the Patriots.
Revis is likely to come back, as the Patriots have expressed interest in keeping him, with president Jonathan Kraft saying that the deal for 2015 is a "placeholder", meaning they want to work out a long term contract. Revis is due a roster bonus in March and the team likely will figure out things before that date. Revis has said he wants to stay in New England, but other teams will be chasing him if he hits the market. Other free agents at cornerback include Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond.
Shane Vereen is another top free agent for the Patriots and he comes in after being one of the top players in the Super Bowl for Tom Brady. Vereen is a pass catching specialist and he has hit in perfectly in New England in his four years. Vereen had 11 catches in the Super Bowl and he could be a target for a number of teams, including the NY Giants and Miami Dolphins on the market. The Patriots signed LeGarrette Blount this season and now they have to decide about keeping Vereen or Stevan Ridley, who is also a free agent.
Vereen stepped up when Ridley was lost for the season in October and it's unlikely that Ridley comes back after dealing with ACL and MCL injuries. Ridley was in the dog house a bit for fumbling issues and there is a good chance the Patriots draft a running back with those players hitting the market. Mike Reiss at ESPN.com writes that the team may look at Todd Gurley in the draft and this comes after the team took James White in the fourth round last year. The Patriots like having depth at running back and also could look at signing someone like Frank Gore, Mark Ingram or Ryan Mathews.
Danny Amendola could be on his way out of town, as he could be released as a salary cap casualty in the offseason. Amendola is owed $4.5 million for 2015 and the Patriots could look at using that money elsewhere. Amendola made some big plays in the playoffs, but with him getting to age 30 and the way he has been injured over the past couple years, it's likely he doesn't return. Amendola played in all 16 games this season, but he caught just 27 passes as Julian Edelman became the top target for Tom Brady.
