Patriots 2015 Free Agent Profile – Jonathan Casillas
Jonathan Casillas was traded to the Patriots from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just prior to the NFL trading deadline in October along with a sixth round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft for the Pats fifth round selection.
The Patriots in need of depth at the position, picked up Casillas who besides excellent special teams play, is also adept at covering tight ends and running backs. He was the fourth member of the Bucs under former coach Greg Schiano to move to the Patriots. He joined Darrelle Revis, LaGarrette Blount and Tim Wright who also played for the Bucs under Schiano. All had big roles at times this season in the Patriots Super Bowl run.
Casillas, 6’1, 227 was originally signed by the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in 2009. He spent four years with the Saints before spending the past two with the Bucs, starting three games this season at the Sam position. Casillas is best remembered for recovering the post half-time onside kick for New Orleans against the Colts in the Super Bowl.
“When it happened I really didn’t understand the meaning, the impact of coming up with that play,” Casillas told NJ.com before the Super Bowl. “It wasn’t designed for me, it was designed for the other side of the field. It didn’t work out the way we wanted to and I had an opportunity to go in there and I just threw my body into the pile.
"When I did, the ball literally ended up in my hand. I guess it was fate,” he said. “I held onto (the ball) with my life. There were people grabbing, people pulling, punching and biting. It was a lot of stuff going on in that pile and it felt like that pile was forever. But I did not get up until they said ‘white ball.’”
Five years after he won a Super Bowl with the Saints, Casillas now can add a second Super Bowl victory with the Patriots to his resume. “This is like beyond a fantasy. I don’t even know how to compare it to a dream. I’m very thankful and I’m very blessed,” Casillas said.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora wrote that Belichick had his eye on Casillas this summer and knew that the Patriots system would be a fit. But Casillas signed an extension with the Bucs but the Patriots were able to swing a trade with Tampa at the deadline.
Casillas provided solid Special Teams play, and the ability to cover backs and tight ends in space on passing downs for the Patriots this season. He was another player who contributed right away as soon as he arrived. Spending extra time with LBs coach Patrick Graham, Casillas justified Belichick’s belief in him and has played like he’s been on the team for some time.
Why Casillas Will Return: Casillas is one of those versatile, smart players who will fulfill a role excellently and not break the bank. He’s much like Dane Fletcher who now coincidentally plays in Tampa Bay. The fact that the Patriots and Belichick wanted him last summer and then went out and traded for him is a big plus. Belichick also got to watch him closely during joint practices with Tampa Bay during training camp of 2013.
He is a solid special teams player and can contribute on defense as well. With the Colts propensity to throw the ball, he had a couple of nice plays in the AFC Championship Game in coverage.
He’s a solid player and a solid pillar of the community, representing the Bucs in 2013 during Spanish Heritage Month. I had the opportunity to interview him last year for Pro Football Central when he was still with the Bucs after the Patriots played them in the regular season. The transcript of that interview can be found here:
Our fellow PatsFans.com writer and resident salary cap guru Miguel Benzan wrote in his latest piece that he expects Casillas and others to return. It can be found here:
Why Casillas Won’t Return: Unless someone really wows Casillas with a big contract offer, I fully expect him to return to the Patriots in 2015. It would be hard to envision the team not wanting him back after making it clear they wanted him last off-season then making a deal for him at the trade deadline.
The Patriots actually gave up more for Casillas (5th round pick) than they did for fellow LB and free agent Akeem Ayers (6th round pick), which by itself doesn’t mean much. But I fully expect Casillas to be patrolling the special teams lanes in 2015 for the Pats.
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