I think that maybe Portis is hoping for a bit more money on the open market than the Pats would be willing to give him, but who knows? That is just a guess, as I do not have anything to back that up. I just have a feeling that there will be someone else that overpays for him. I am not sure that we have a huge need for a RB on the FA market, as I have a hunch we will draft one somewhere, and use what we have + younger, cheaper talent.
I'm not ruling out gathering a low-mid level veteran RB, but I think it would have to be on the cheap. I think BB likes the RBBC approach, and will add either a cheaper vet, or a draft choice.
It's always possible that the draft pick could work out better than we'd hoped, and they could handle more of the load, allowing for BJGE to be a #2, and Woodhead to be a very good 3rd down back.