Wide receiver Brandon Marshall appeared unexpectedly on an episode of ESPN 1000's Carmen and Jurko Show on Friday and revealed to the hosts that he almost wound up a member of the New England Patriots prior to last season.
"I could have played for the Patriots last year," Marshall told the hosts, via The Chicago Sun-Times. "There was an opportunity where there probably could have [been] a trade before the season."
Per Marshall, before he signed a three-year, $30 million extension with the Chicago Bears in May 2014, the NFL's Windy City franchise considered dealing him due to contract talks that had become, shall we say, a bit contentious.
"It was my agent and the Chicago Bears because there was a little tension on the contract staff," Marshall said. "I thought I was worth a little more. ... There were a couple of teams that were offering more money.
"It never got that far, but there was a possibility with a couple teams."
The notoriously mercurial Marshall has long been considered something of a troubled talent throughout his time in the NFL. He's been involved in numerous altercations with the law, including arrests on charges of domestic violence, disorderly conduct, DUI and violation of a restraining order.
In July 2011, Marshall revealed that he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
Considering his checkered past, it's hard to see Patriots head coach Bill Belichick offering much in the way of compensation for his, admittedly significant, services.
Then again, Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have taken players with questionable histories, like Corey Dillon and Randy Moss, and turned them into uber-productive pieces of the Patriots machine before, so it's not as if they wouldn't have been able to make it work.
Marshall, despite discussing the potential trade scenarios, revealed to Carmen and Jurko that he hoped he'd finish his NFL career as a member of the Bears.
"I really thought that Chicago was going to be my home forever," Marshall said.
Now a member of the New York Jets, Marshall will get a chance to show Belichick and the Pats what they missed out on by not trading for him at least twice a season for the foreseeable future - or until he wears out his welcome again.
