New England Patriots: Dion Lewis unsure about his future

One of the key free agents for the New England Patriots is running back Dion Lewis. However, he is unsure of his future.

With the NFL offseason underway, the New England Patriots have a lot of important decisions to make when it comes to free agents. One of the key players for them that is a free agent this season is Dion Lewis.

Coming into the season, Lewis wasn’t expected to be a big factor in the offense of the Patriots. In the offseason, the Patriots added running backs Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead. Of the two, Gillislee was expected to be the primary running back for New England.

Since the Patriots decided to let LeGarrette Blount walk after a career year, and Gillislee figured to be the player that would replace him. However, Gillislee struggled with the Patriots after a nice three-touchdown game in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. After that game, Gillislee didn’t do much for the Patriots for the rest of the season. With a few poor games, the Patriots eventually made the switch to Lewis as the primary runner.

Now, Lewis is a free agent, and his future is somewhat uncertain. After the great season, Lewis hopes to stay in New England but is unsure of where he will be playing next season. Recently he spoke on Adam Schefter’s podcast. Here’s what he said with text from Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

"“I love it here,” Lewis said on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “I’ve grown great relationships in this area the past three years, and I’m close to home — Albany, New York, is 2½ hours [away], so I’m really close to my family. At the same time, it’s a business. Hopefully, it will work out, but at the same time, you can’t really think that way. You have to take care of yourself and your family at the same time.”"

Last season, Lewis was able to total 896 rushing yards despite not being the featured back for a good chunk of the season. In games when Lewis played well, the Patriots won, as he provided great balance to the offense.

Next: 3 Reasons to re-sign Dion Lewis

With Le’Veon Bell being the premier free agent at the running back position, Lewis could have multiple suitors on teams that miss out on him. This could end up being very financially beneficial for Lewis but might put him out of the Patriots’ price range. After the great season, Lewis certainly deserves to get a nice contract, the real question is whether or not that Patriots will be the team he ultimately signs with.