The New England Patriots Should Cut Vince Wilfork?
By Cyrus Geller
Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork (75) during Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Just about 13 months ago, I wrote this piece detailing why the New England Patriots may have to cut Vince Wilfork. Fast forward to today, and we are virtually in the same exact position.
Last year Wilfork’s cap hit was a whopping $10.6 million. It was then reported that he was at odds with the team about re-working his deal, and was very close to leaving Foxboro. However the two sides eventually reconciled, and he came back at a cheaper price for 2014.
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Now let’s look at the cap number heading into 2015: $8.9 million. Not quite what it was last offseason, but very close. I love Wilfork, as he is one of my favorite all-time Patriots, but that is just too damn high. For a guy coming off an achilles injury, he played out of his mind in 2014, and deserved every penny he got. But going forward, the Pats just cannot pay him that much money, and if he wants to stay a Patriot, he will have to take a pay-cut.
The big question now, is will the big man be willing to restructure? I usually have a strong gut feeling on these kinds of things, but for this, I honestly think it could go either way. On the one hand, Wilfork may want to go after his money (and deservedly so), which would mean going to a different squad for the 2015 season. However on the other hand, Wilfork is a loyal dude, and if the two sides can work out a favorable compromise, it would be easy to see him come back to chase after a third ring.
Obviously right now we have no idea what will happen, so let’s play the hypothetical game:
Next: Here Are Three Possible Scenarios For This Wilfork Situation