Dont’a Hightower is still testing the free agent market, but the consensus seems to be that he is simply trying to drive up the price for the Patriots before returning to New England.
Hightower has visited with multiple teams and was supposedly close to an agreement with the Tennessee Titans at one point, but he remains unsigned. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the teams Hightower has met with are convinced the star linebacker will re-sign with the Patriots.
#Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower visited #Jets this weekend and he’s spent time with #Titans, as well. Both left convinced he re-signs in NE
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2017
Hightower is one of the best defensive free agents available, and those players typically sign quickly. He would have already agreed to a contract right now if some team blew him away with an offer, so it seems like he is simply trying to get the most money he can out of the Patriots.
When New England traded another star linebacker in a shocking deal last season, many took that as a guarantee that Hightower would be getting an extension. While that no longer seems like a guarantee, it remains the most likely outcome.
