New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork found out Tuesday night that the only NFL team he has known will not pick up his option, making him a free agent. He tweeted out a statement Wednesday morning, marking the end of an era.
"I'm in a good place [and] I have a great relationship with the Patriots organization," Wilfork wrote.
The Patriots selected Wilfork in the first round in the 2004 NFL draft, and he has been the anchor of a defense that made four Super Bowls in his time, winning two.
Wilfork will turn 34 this season and was slated to hit $8.9 million against the salary cap this season. On the one hand, Wilfork's play leveled off last season coming off a season-ending Achilles injury in 2013. On the other, he played a massive number of snaps last season — 910, tied for second-most in the NFL among nose tackles, per Pro Football Focus — and will leave a huge void in the middle of the Patriots' defense that improved markedly last season in a championship year.
Reading Wilfork's statement, it almost sounds like he's mulling retirement. He says he'll take time to decide what his next move, but you can be sure a number of teams will put in a call to see if Wilfork wouldn't mind considering giving it another go in 2015.
The Patriots had to make this move, financially speaking, if they have any hope of retaining cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Devin McCourty. Other Patriots moves could be coming, including working on the salary-cap figure of receiver Danny Amendola, who is scheduled to count $5.7 million against the cap.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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