Patriots Free Agency Outlook, Cornerbacks
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William Gay
Gay is a long-time Pittsburgh Steelers corner who has had to fight his way into the starting lineup twice and was arguably their best corner the last two years. Just a few days older than Brown, Gay at 31 is still capable of a few years of solid play left in his career but won’t be looking for a big free agent contract.
If he indeed does leave Pittsburgh, he could be on the Patriots radar. While he’s no superstar or top corner in the league, Gay has proven to be a solid veteran presence who again like Brown could be a mentor to the younger players while grooming them for the future.
He had good numbers in 2015, despite the other side of the field being targeted frequently. He made 60 tackles, had two interceptions, one for a pick-six and had a sack as well as seven passes defensed.
For a player with nine years of experience on the perimeter, Gay has been remarkably durable playing in 144 straight games. He’s considered one of the smarter Pittsburgh defenders and is known to be aware of everyone’s responsibility on the field, something Belichick covets in his players.
Gay was a bargain for the Steelers the past two years at $1.5 million-dollars per year and he’ll be looking for a raise. I still believe Pittsburgh will bring him back for another two-three seasons, but they did let him test free agency in 2012 and he bolted for the Arizona Cardinals.
Next up one of the more dynamic playmakers on the market.
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