Jaguars reach contract agreement with free agent DT Red Bryant


It wasn't long ago that there was a growing buzz that former Seattle defensive tackle Red Bryant could be a legitimate option for the Patriots this offseason. Now it appears the big run stuffer won't even hit the open market.
Free agency doesn't officially open until Tuesday, but the Jaguars are able to negotiate with and sign Bryant at any time because the defensive tackle was released by Seattle this offseason. In Jacksonville, Bryant will be reunited with his old defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who is now the Jaguars head coach.

Terms of the proposed deal haven't been announced yet, but adding Bryant makes a lot of sense on paper for Seattle. The massive defensive tackle is a force against the run, and adding a big body like him up front will help Bradley in implementing his preferred defensive schemes. Bryant was also a beloved leader in the Seattle locker room, and will bring leadership and a championship pedigree to a Jacksonville team in desperate need of both.

Of course, these are all qualities that made Bryant an attractive free agent for New England too. Bryant came very close to signing with the Patriots as a free agent in the 2012 offseason, but opted to resign with Seattle instead. The hard, Bill Belichick-driven push to sign Bryant then led many to speculate that the Pats could try to land the big defensive tackle again, particularly with a need to lessen Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly's workload.

However, it looks like the Jaguars swooped in to snag Bryant before the Patriots could throw their hat into the ring. This shouldn't surprising, as the Patriots have a number of in-house deals to work on (Aqib Talib, Julian Edelman, Vince Wilfork), before they can seriously commit to supplementing the rest of the roster.

Bryant becomes the first of our Top 5 free agent defensive linemen to come off the market. Be sure to read that piece for some possible alternatives to Bryant on the market.