NFL Free Agency Rumors: Jacksonville Jaguars To Pursue Shane Vereen?
By Cyrus Geller
NFL free agency is slowly approaching, and while all the focus on the Patriots’ side is on Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty, they have a few other key players that are set to hit the market. Chief among those role players is running back Shane Vereen, who fresh off an amazing performance in the Super Bowl, will garner a lot of attention on the open market.
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Yesterday Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston made an interesting note regarding Vereen in his “quick-hit thoughts” piece. Take a look:
"For those looking at a potential financial market for running back Shane Vereenin free agency, one respected NFL source pointed me to the three-year, $10.5 million deal ($4 million guaranteed) signed by Donald Brown with the Chargers last year as the starting point. I could see Vereen exceeding that, and I have doubts the Patriots – given their recent free-agent history with running backs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead – would match it. From the pure-speculation department: I could see the Jacksonville Jaguars as a strong suitor for Vereen, in part because of the championship pedigree he could bring and their significant salary cap space."
When Vereen’s situation was brought up to me during the regular season, I honestly felt like there was a very slim chance he would be retained. He is an excellent player, and as Reiss mentions, there will be teams with tons of cap space that will throw a lot of money at him.
It is also New England’s forte to never overpay running backs, and that will most likely be the case once again with Vereen. They will set a number, and not waver. If Vereen wants the cash (as he should), he may bolt for a team like the Jags. But if he is willing to take a pay-cut to stay on a championship-caliber squad, there is no doubt in my mind he will be a Patriot in 2015.
If the Jaguars set their mind on Vereen, and it turns into a bidding war, the Patriots will have no problem letting him go. This is how they have handled running backs for 14 years, and I’d say it’s worked out just fine.