Alleged reason why the Patriots didn't sign Leonard Fournette after workout revealed

With the flood of recent visits and workouts the Patriots have had, it's clear they were looking to add to their roster. It became apparent that the focus was to add another running back into the mix to work alongside Rhamondre Stevenson and help out the load from the backfield.

It all started with the news of Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson heading to Foxboro to visit with the team. It was the second time Bill Belichick invited Fournette for a visit in recent years, and because of that, it seemed like he would be a near-shoe-in to be signed.

But when the running back left the facility without a contract, and it's been two weeks since he visited, it appears there is no future in New England for Fournette.

Because Belichick is not one to discuss matters like this, or in his words, "I don't talk about players that are not on the team," it's not likely we'll ever get an answer as to what went wrong or what changed his mind about Fournette after his visit.

However, Patriots.com’s Paul Perillo revealed what he's heard about it all during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Monday.

"I’ve had a couple of people tell me he wasn’t in the best of shape"

This has been a common theme in recent years when Fournette returns for camp in the summer. Let's not forget it was just one year ago when a photo of him at the Bucs' training camp went viral online for what some referred to as a noticeable weight gain.

It became a big controversy for a while until he returned to his usual weight and went on to have a typical productive season in 2022.

So if that really is a concern for the Patriots, perhaps it shouldn't be a complete deterrent considering how hard Fournette has worked to get into good shape in the past. But if it's more about how he's moving around and finishing drills, that's a different story.

It seems they've moved on anyway, having Ezekiel Elliott in for a visit since then, and have publicly expressed interest in having Dalvin Cook in as well. We'll have to be patient with whether or not any of these running backs will be signed because, apparently, they're all willing to wait it out for the right team and offer.