Patriots Free Agency Outlook – Running Backs
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Chris Ivory
The Patriots would love to add the talented Ivory for a couple of reasons. One, is that he’d be a perfect fit for the offense, running the ball and catching it out of the backfield. The other is that Bill Belichick loves to pick free agents from his division rivals and weaken them in the meantime.
Ivory is set to become a free agent in March and it is looking increasingly unlikely that the Jets will bring him back in 2016. Unlike the first two players, Ivory put up career best numbers in 2015. After toiling as a backup his first few seasons in New Orleans, he was used as a tandem back with the Jets in 2013 and 2014.
This past season he was their featured back and was a big part of the offense. He carried the ball 247 times for 1070 yards, good for a 4.3-yard average and 7 touchdowns. Ivory also caught 30 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield.
He’s a workhorse type of back who runs with authority and hits the holes decisively. He gets the yards between the tackles and is tough to bring down once he gets going. The Patriots have faced him and know his value. He’d bring a huge boost to the Patriots offense and like the above players would be a perfect fit for Brady and McDaniels.
Ivory is going to be 28 but doesn’t have as much wear on his tires due to his being used very little while with the Saints. Plus, he’d be an added weapon out of the backfield on early downs as the Patriots could find ways to get him the ball in space.
So what’s the downside to Ivory? Money…
Ivory is looking for (and rightfully so), his first and probably only big payday in the NFL. In a couple of seasons, he’ll be at that age where teams won’t want to invest in a big running back north of 30 years old. The time is right and he’ll command in the neighborhood of perhaps $ 7-8 million dollars on the market.
The Patriots won’t commit that kind of money to a back, their past history dictates that so unless they can convince him to take much less for a chance at a ring, the chances of him coming to the Pats is slim.
Next up, …a young talented runner looking for a shot.
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