New England Patriots incumbent free agent predictions

Jamie Collins

Jamie Collins is one of the more interesting figures in the NFL today.

If you’re a hardcore Patriots fan, you probably love Collins. There’s a decent chance you’ll go out of your way to extoll his virtues to any other NFL fans who’ll listen, and you’ll cite Cris Collinsworth’s frequent on-air praise and infatuation with Collins as justification for why you’re so high on him and his talents.

If you’re a hardcore Browns fan, you probably hate Collins. He encapsulates all the failures and bad luck that your franchise has historically been known for, all wrapped up in a package for examination and discussion. Here’s a player who excelled for a winning team, came to your team, signed a massive contract, and promptly left so very much to be desired on the field.

Somewhere in between these two polar extremes is the truth of Jamie Collins. He’s a streaky player at best, who’s capable of either being an afterthought in a defense or being the best player on the field. You just never know what you’re going to get with his mindset, attitude, and effort.

Fortunately or unfortunately, most teams in the league aren’t as smart as the Patriots. While Belichick and New England were the ones to cut Collins loose only to re-sign him later when the time was right and he was affordable, they’re also unlikely to pony up and pay him a big deal now — especially after he faded a bit down the stretch of 2019.

Some other team is going to pull a Cleveland again and pay him top dollar for the sample size of his season last year, and he’ll probably disappoint for them all over again like he did for the Browns.

Prediction: Goes