Who Should The New England Patriots Re-Sign And Let Go?

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen (34) celebrates after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

K Stephen Gostkowski: Re-Sign

I have Gostkowski as the third most important free agent to re-sign for New England, right behind Revis and McCourty. As Patriots fans know all too well, having a good kicker is an extremely underrated aspect of a football team. Close games in big moments always call upon a kicker to come through, and with a championship on the line, you can’t skimp on the player that brings you home. Gostkowski is the best kicker in the game, and I think the Pats will reward him with a nice contract.

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RB Shane Vereen: Re-Sign

Here’s the deal: I love Vereen, and if possible, I would like to see him back in Foxboro, but not at a high price. The Patriots know you never break the bank for a running back, so if Vereen’s price exceeds their limit, they will have no problem moving on. For 14 years they have had a revolving door at running back, and things have worked out just fine for the team. My gut feeling is Vereen will be back, but I would not be surprised at all if he left for more money. And to be honest, I wouldn’t blame him either.

RB Stevan Ridley: Let Go

I could definitely see Ridley coming back on a one-year deal to prove himself to the Pats, but with LeGarrette Blount and James White under contract, it would be surprising to see Ridley back on a multi-year deal. It kind of sucks, because ever since he came into the league, I have been a big fan of Ridley. If it were up to me, I’d give him a deal to come back, just because he has a lot of talent as a runner. But Bill Belichick is smart about this stuff, and he won’t throw any unnecessary money at Ridley.

LB Chris White: Let Go

Many others have said this, but I never quite understood White’s presence on the the Pats’ roster. Yes, he was a core special-teamer, but he didn’t contribute anything on defense, and he honestly didn’t pop off the screen on special-teams. I’m not saying he wasn’t important, but he definitely wasn’t the reason our boys won a championship. I don’t think he’ll be back in 2015.