Getty Jamie Collins
Former New England Patriots have a way of finding their way back to New England. Linebacker Jamie Collins has already had two stints with the Patriots. Currently a member of the Detroit Lions, Collins is currently on the trade block and multiple people are linking him to a return to the Patriots.
According to Lions coach Dan Campbell, there are no issues with Collins’ attitude, and the Lions already have “suitors” for a potential deal.
More Lions HC Dan Campbell on LB Jamie Collins: “His attitude has been great. It has nothing to do with any of that.”
More on a potential trade: “We have suitors right now.”
Collins comes with a $3.38M prorated salary.
The Patriots’ linebacker group has been pretty strong through two weeks. Although, Kyle Van Noy was out of the Week 2 win over the New York Jets with a throat injury.
Collins’ extensive experience with the Patriots and his former defensive coordinator and head coach Matt Patricia would seemingly make New England a prime candidate to land Collins for a third time.
Former Players and Members of the Media Are Talking About a Collins-Patriots Reunion
Collins’ former teammate with the Patriots, Brandon Spikes took to Twitter to share his desire to see Collins back with the Patriots:
Spikes and Collins only played together for one season back in 2013. That Patriots team finished 12-4, but lost in the AFC Championship Game to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos who went on to lose to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. Clearly, Spikes, who retired after the 2016 season, still has a place in his heart for the Patriots and Collins. CLNS’ Evan Lazar can see the Patriots being interested in reuniting with Collins.
Lazar tweeted:
Likewise, ESPN’s Mike Reiss won’t rule out the two sides coming back together.
Reiss tweeted:
@pzan Hi pzan. This is just my personal opinion, and not based on any concrete facts, I do think the Patriots would be a suitor for Jamie Collins.
Whether they could make it work financially/compensation-wise, I’m not sure.
Collins has been one of the more effective linebackers in recent Patriots history. His track record speaks for itself.
Jamie Collins Career With the Patriots and Time With the Lions
Collins helped the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX over the Seahawks. He began his NFL career with the Patriots after Bill Belichick drafted him out of Southern Mississippi in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Collins stayed with the Patriots until he was traded to the Cleveland Browns midway through the 2016 season.
Collins stayed with the Browns through the 2018 season before re-signing with the Patriots in 2019. Ahead of the 2020 season, Collins signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Lions where he was reunited with long-time Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Collins played in 14 games in 2020. While he made more than 100 tackles for the Lions defense, his sack total dipped to 1 compared to 7 the previous season.
In 2021, Collins has played in both games for Detroit and has 7 tackles with a fumble recovery. With Patricia now back in New England, almost no one would be surprised to see Collins in Foxboro for a third run with the Patriots.
Collins might be able to step right into a prominent role if the Patriots do re-acquire him. However, the biggest obstacle for both sides to overcome is financial. The Patriots would seemingly be more interested in signing Collins if he were released.
It would likely be a less-expensive route to adding his services. Stay tuned.