Patriots

Patriots “Long Shot” To Re-Sign RB Dion Lewis

March 7, 2018

Mike Giardi of NBC Sports Boston reports the Patriots are a “long shot” to re-sign free agent RB Dion Lewis.

Giardi adds that the expected contractual demands by Lewis are a problem and his sources have said Lewis was disappointed by his usage both early in the season and again during the Super Bowl.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Colts and Jets are two possible destinations to watch for Lewis. Fowler adds that Lewis is in line for a multi-year contract in free agency this year.
Jeff Howe reported a few days ago that while the Patriots have expressed interest in re-signing Lewis, “most of the league” is looking into him right now and he could end up with offers as high as three-year at $18 million on the open market.
Before that, 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.