Patriots free agent declines contract offer to test the market instead

The legal tampering period for free agency this year begins on Monday, and the Patriots have reportedly been doing their due diligence to try to retain some of their top players set to hit the market.

They have already had some success, re-signing Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry and placing the transition tag on Kyle Dugger to continue negotiating an extension.

But a few names haven't been in the news much regarding the team's effort to get a deal done before free agency officially begins. One of those players is Mack Wilson, who had a standout 2023 season after Matthew Judon's season-ending injury.

The first report regarding his status was revealed on Sunday afternoon when MassLive's Mark Daniels stated that the linebacker was offered a 3-year contract but turned it down to test the market this week since a few teams are said to be interested in him.

It's an interesting development and not necessarily the best sign for the Patriots' chances at retaining more of their remaining productive players. Although Wilson isn't necessarily considered a game-changer, he was a solid contributor last year, especially in Judon's absence.

On top of that, his versatility became even more valuable with the number of issues on special teams. It's never an ideal scenario to lose a player like that.

Hopefully, Wilson just wants to see what other teams offer and if it's more than New England. If that's the case, though, who's to say they will be waiting around until he decides where he wants to sign? It will certainly be a situation worth watching this week.

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