Bill Belichick on trading Jamie Collins: ‘We did what we felt was best’
“In the end, we did what we felt was best for the football team,” Belichick said Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Dale & Holley” show.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Collins, who is playing in a contract year, wanted to be paid in the neighborhood of Von Miller. Denver's elite edge rusher signed a six-year, $114 million deal this past offseason. While Collins was a productive player at times, his consistency from week-to-week varied too much for Belichick's taste.
“There were a lot of things to take into consideration. I’m sure we could bring up a lot of things to talk about. But in the end, that’s really the bottom line," Belichick said.
The Boston Globe's Ben Volin reported that Collins turned down a deal that would pay him $11 million per year. Given Belichick's firm stance on overpaying for services that can be filled elsewhere, the trade is not as surprising as initially thought.
The recently acquired Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Shea McClellin and Barkevious Mingo will all be in the mix to fill Collins' opening.
Photo Credit: The Boston Globe