The New England Patriots enter a critical offseason as they look to rebound from a Super Bowl loss. They face many salary cap questions and have a number of impending free agents. One such player is running back Dion Lewis, who may not be back with the team.
The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe wrote an article published on Saturday about the Patriots’ roster situation entering the offseason. In his article, Howe said the “early vibe” is Lewis will prove too expensive for the Patriots.
From Howe’s article:
Lewis plans to test free agency unless the Patriots offer $10 million guaranteed as part of a three-year deal in the range of $15 million to $18 million. The early vibe is that he’ll be playing elsewhere.
Lewis, who has been with the Patriots the past three seasons, was a valuable all-around contributor last season. He rushed for a career-high 896 yards (5.0 ypc) and six touchdowns. He also added 32 catches for 214 yards and three TDs, and he scored on one kick return, giving him 10 total touchdowns.
James White is likely to be back with the Pats, but there are questions about Mike Gillislie and Rex Burkhead. We know based on how they played hardball with LeGarrette Blount in the past that the Pats aren’t looking to spend big money on running backs, so it seems Lewis could end up out of their price range. Howe mentions Carlos Hyde and Darren Sproles as potential options.
