Jamie Collins is headed to New England. Again.
Collins has agreed to terms with the Patriots, per , for what will be his third stint with the team.
The news was first . The team announced the signing Wednesday.
Collins had other interested parties, but the familiarity with the Patriots closed the deal, Garafolo added.
It's only been a week since the Detroit Lions released the veteran linebacker after he struggled in new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's system, ultimately losing his starting job to a rookie.
Collins' forthcoming run with the Patriots will be his third in New England. He first came to the Patriots as a second-round draft pick in 2013, and he made a Pro Bowl in his third season. After a stretch of two-plus seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Collins made his way back to New England in 2019 before signing with the Lions for 2020.
Detroit appeared to be a nice fit at the time, as Collins was reunited with then-Lions coach Matt Patricia, whom he'd previously played for in New England. Indeed, Collins was central to the Lions' defense last year in making 101 tackles.
But a new coaching staff in Detroit clearly wasn't on the same page with Collins; after a poor performance in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, new Lions coach Dan Campbell signaled a change was forthcoming. Campbell benched Collins in favor of rookie Derrick Barnes, a fourth-round pick from Purdue. At first, the club tried to facilitate a trade for Collins, but when those efforts failed, Collins was released.
