Usually in the NFL, when a team wins the Super Bowl, retaining free agents immediately becomes a difficult and oftentimes impossible proposition - the allure of that "Super Bowl champion" tag, even for middling players who contributed only a small effort to the victorious cause, leads to outsized offers and big-time paydays elsewhere.
For the New England Patriots, celebrating their Super Bowl XLIX victory over the Seattle Seahawks with a parade in Boston today, there are a number of difficult pending free agent and general roster decisions to be made ahead of next season.
Longtime defensive stalwart, tackle Vince Wilfork - who is, along with quarterback Tom Brady, the only leftovers from the Patriots' last Super Bowl victory - could be cut this offseason, according to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
"Don't be stunned if the Patriots cut Wilfork. It would be cold blooded, but releasing Wilfork could save over $8 million in cap room, and he was a so-so starter this season. It would be a very "on to 2015" Patriots move."
No one has ever accused Patriots head coach Bill Belichick of being sentimental, and while it would be difficult for fans of the Pats to watch Wilfork, who has spent the entirety of his 11-year career with New England, walk away, it may be in the team's best interest to allocate his salary elsewhere.
Another money-saving move for the team could be cutting wide receiver Danny Amendola. Amendola started off the season slow, but finished strong with 34 catches over the final five games. His cap hit for next season, though, is $5.7 million and would save the team upwards of $2 million in cap space if they cut him.
As for the highly intriguing case of cornerback Darrelle Revis, Rosenthal suggests that the All-Pro cornerback is actually viewed as less integral to the team's success going forward than safety Devin McCourty and he expects New England to act accordingly this offseason, making McCourty the Patriots' top priority and either signing him to a big-time deal or slapping him with the franchise tag.
Revis will most likely see at least one more season with the Patriots, but, while the team hasn't ruled out the possibility, it almost assuredly won't be at the astronomical sum - $20 million - he's currently slated to make next year.
The team knows that time is running short on the Brady era though, and could be looking to make the most out of one or two more runs by retaining Revis.
