According to Jeff Howe, the Patriots have expressed interest in re-signing free agent RB Dion Lewis. However, Howe says that “most of the league” is interested in him right now, so it’s going to take a strong offer to keep him New England.
Howe adds that Lewis could end up getting offers as high as three-year at $18 million on the open market.
Last night, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reported that Lewis is expected to garner “serious consideration” from a number of teams in the coming weeks and specifically mentioned that there could be six or seven teams in the market for him with the Jets, Texans, 49ers, Raiders, and Colts being some teams to watch.
Lewis said earlier in the week that he would like to return to New England, but that he understands the business first and foremost. (NFLTR)
“At the same time, I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket,” Lewis said. “I know how the team likes to handle their business, and as a running back, you have to make the most of your opportunity, and me being the player I am, my main thing is making sure I can go out there next year and show people what type of player I can be. I still think I can improve from what I did this past year. My main thing is just making sure I’m valued. That’s my biggest thing — to make sure I’m valued the way I value myself.”
Lewis, 27, is a former fifth-round pick of the Eagles back in 2011. After two years in Philadelphia, Lewis was traded to the Browns in return for Emmanuel Acho. He had a brief stint with the Colts before signing a future/reserve contract with the Patriots in 2015.
He just completed a three-year, $3.1 million contract with the Patriots that included a $600,000 signing bonus and a base salary of $1.2 million for the 2017 season.
In 2017, Lewis appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots and recorded 180 rushing attempts for 896 yards (5.0 YPC) and two rushing touchdowns, to go along with 32 receptions for 214 yards (6.7 YPC) and three touchdowns. He also had 570 kickoff return yards and scored once.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.
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