The New England Patriots are in the business of tight end collection.
According to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche -- and included in Darin Gantt’s morning one-liners -- the Patriots on Thursday will host veteran tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for a free-agent visit. In Foxboro, Shiancoe would likely compete with Daniel Fells for the No. 3 tight end job behind Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
Late last month, Tom Pelissero of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities reported that Shiancoe turned down a one-year, $1.2 million contract offer from the Seattle Seahawks. It’s hard to imagine that the Patriots would offer Shiancoe a whole lot more than that, but he’s likely short on options a week before training camp.
Shiancoe turned 32 in June. He recorded 36 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games with Minnesota last season, starting 14.