Lure of a ring so real
Pats an intriguing destination
With free agency right around the corner, the Patriots have the best sales pitch going for guys ready to hit the market. While it’s the same slogan they’ve been using for nearly two decades, they added more currency in their corner.
It’s no mystery. If you’re shopping for a ring, hop on board.
Just follow Chris Long’s lead. He’s the poster boy for how it works for a free agent if you sign on the dotted line. Late in his career, the defensive end was looking for the place that gave him the best chance to win. He wasn’t looking to break the bank. The ring was the thing. The possibility of a championship was the enticement. That’s what made New England the land of opportunity for him. That’s what put the Patriots over the top.
“I didn’t sign to get paid, I didn’t really sign to resurrect my career, I just wanted to win,” Long said after kissing the Lombardi Trophy Sunday night. “When I was coming off the last year, I just hoped I could sneak onto a team. I didn’t know where my body was going to be. Well, I turned out to feel pretty good, and I feel like I played a role. So I’m very happy to be here.”
Long was more than overjoyed yesterday, riding in the parade as he and his teammates were hailed by hundreds of thousands of Patriots fans who braved snow and rain to salute the Super Bowl champions. He might not have been the same dominant player he was earlier in his career, but he did play a role, and he was a contributor.
But the point is when it came down to making a choice, he went with the Patriots to give himself the best chance at doing something his father Howie Long, the Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end, did with the Oakland Raiders. At age 31, Chris Long didn’t have many chances left, and it paid off.
There likely will be similar free agents come March, veterans who care about winning, want that ring before they hang it up and just might be swayed by Long’s experience.
Or, there might be another Chris Hogan. He was a player who didn’t have quite the same impact in Buffalo, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in nearly two decades, but it was a different story here.
The wide receiver arrived as a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet the Bills couldn’t match and became an important part of the offense, contributing in a significant way toward a Super Bowl championship.
“It’s amazing. I’m just so happy to be a part of this team,” Hogan said in the aftermath of the win. “Just so happy to be here, part of this organization, playing with these guys. They care so much. It’s really special.”
Hogan’s another guy they can put up there for prospective free agents to look at and see what coming to New England means.
Or maybe the chance to play for coach Bill Belichick, or with four-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, and seeing the five rings they own might be enough to lure some of the more prominent names who don’t need their agents to fight for every last nickel.
Long, who said he would have “played for five bucks” to play for the Patriots, could very well be a one and done, so the team might be shopping for another defensive end.
Might Miami’s Andre Branch be enticed?
Martellus Bennett came here via trade from the Bears, but the tight end is going to cash in with his upcoming free agency. He enters the market as a Super Bowl winner. He was looking forward to reaping the rewards.
“Super Bowl champions get overpaid,” he said with a laugh while being interviewed by Fox after the game.
So there’s that, too. Come to New England and enhance your profile for a bigger payday down the road.
Or maybe Bennett will find that he likes the winning environment here. That’s what is going to keep Michael Floyd around. At least that’s what the wide receiver, who also is headed to free agency, told reporters during Super Bowl week. He liked it so much he wants to stay.
“This experience, it’s been great,” Floyd said. “Just starting from coming here late into the season . . . it’s been exciting, and it has been an enjoyable ride.”
In the end, it all works for the Patriots.