Will Patriots cut Vince Wilfork?
by John Aubin | Tue, Feb 10th 4:12pm EST
Cutting Vince Wilfork before his $4 million roster bonus comes due on March 10 would save the Patriots $8.1 million on the 2015 salary cap. Because Wilfork's contract has little dead money, only cutting Darrelle Revis would generate greater savings. The Patriots are currently over the cap and could reasonably ask themselves how much worse they could be against short-yardage runs without Wilfork than they were this season with him. Moreover, Wilfork is entering his 12th season, an age around which defensive linemen's production has dropped precipitously in the past. Even though Wilfork had some very strong games this year to go with some weaker ones -- notably against the Ravens in the playoffs -- he did not play up to his salary in 2014. The gap between salary and performance would likely grow even wider in 2015. Bill Belichick needs to return to his coldly rational ways and cut Wilfork should he refuse to accept a new, smaller contract. (ESPN)
Fantasy Impact:
There will be some interesting decisions the Patriots have to make to get their roster ready for next year. And Vince Wilfork is one of them. It is hard to imagine a Patriots defense without #75 Wilfork in the middle. He is getting older and is not the player he once was. But he is a dominant run-stopper and more importantly is the heart and soul of the defense. While it is doubtful the Patriots keep Wilfork at this money, expect them to resign him to a deal that helps both parties.
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