Following up on a story we ran Friday in regards to the possibility of former Steelers linebacker James Farrior retiring, his agent, Ralph Cindrich, responded to a question posed via Twitter about it.
Cindrich’s response suggested Farrior, the 13 year veteran, is waiting for a “championship opportunity.”
Will one of those present itself for Farrior? It’s an interesting question.
He’s just getting around to the retirement part. On hold to see if a Championship opportunity came around. @NealCoolong
— Ralph Cindrich (@RalphCindrich) May 25, 2012
Whether it will happen remains to be seen, obviously, but one team I can think of that loves players in these situations is the New England Patriots.
Few teams in the league look to sign veteran free agents facing the twilight of their careers as much as the Patriots do. They’ve recently gotten high production out of DE Kevin Carter and OG Brian Waters. This year, they’ve brought in WR Brandon Lloyd, OG Robert Gallery and RB Joseph Addai, recently of the St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts, respectively. Even going back a few years, there’s LB Junior Seau, WR Deion Branch and WR Jabar Gaffney.
The Patriots spent what seemed to be 45 draft picks on defensive players, including three of their first four picks addressing the front seven (DE Chandler Jones, ILB Dont’a Hightower and DE Jake Bequette). The Patriots have also built themselves to become versatile enough to play a variety of different looks in their front seven, depending on the situation.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Patriots, come training camp, took Farrior out for a test drive, and the Patriots, the defending AFC champions, certainly fit the title contender status Cindrich says Farrior is looking for.
Source: Behind the Steel Curtain
