‘Winning’ is the reason why Jamie Collins returned to New England
Back with the team that originally drafted him, Jamie Collins credits the Patriots’ winning culture as the primary reason he came back to New England.
In the immortal words of T-Pain and DJ Khaled: “All I do is win win win no matter what.”
That seems to be the everlasting motto of the New England Patriots this side of the new millennium. No matter who gets traded, no matter who retires, no matter who is injured, no matter who is old… this team just keeps finding more ways to win.
It’s also apparently the primary reason that Jamie Collins decided to bury the hatchet with head coach Bill Belichick and link up for a second stint in Foxborough. Although he admitted to reporters back in May that he was initially “surprised” to get a call from the Patriots, he now seems extremely at peace and pleased with his decision to re-join the team that first selected him back in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
NBC Sports’ Jacob Camenker detailed a recent interview between Collins and two NFL Network reporters, footage of which was shared on the Patriots’ official team website. In the conversation, Collins is asked point-blank what made him decide to come back home to New England.
He didn’t hesitate in providing a straight answer:
"“Everything. On the field, off the field, especially the winning part. Once you’re a winner, man, it’s hard to fall away from that. And you don’t settle for anything less.”"
Of course, Collins knows better than anyone what the differences are playing for teams that win and teams that lose. His Patriots went 12-4 in his first three seasons in the league, making it to three straight AFC Championship Game appearances and winning one Super Bowl title along the way.
Midway through the 2016 season, Collins was traded to the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots went on to post a 14-2 record that year and win the Super Bowl. At the other end of the spectrum, Collins’ new team finished with a 1-15 record… a dismal mark that only looks better compared to the Browns’ record the following year (0-16 in 2017).
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While Cleveland showed some promise last season and handedly won the NFL offseason on paper through a flurry of high-profile signings, the Patriots remain the odds-on favorite to both appear at and then win Super Bowl 54. When all that’s considered, it makes logical sense that Collins would choose to embark on a second journey with the team.