Patriots coach Bill Belichick met the media at the league meeting this morning, and he was just as effusive as usual.
A reporter asked Belichick about Vince Wilfork, who reportedly wants to be released because the Patriots want to cut his salary. Here’s the entirety of the exchange:
Reporter: “The way that things have gotten a little contentious with Vince and the team, where do things stand with him right now and how much do you hope to have him back next year?”
Belichick: “Uh, I don’t really know what, you know, the nature of your question -- maybe that’s something you’d have to talk about Vince about.”
Reporter: “Has he requested his release, did he request that to you, as was reported?”
Belichick: “I’m not going to talk about anything with any of our specific players. I’m not going to get into that.”
The 32-year-old Wilfork missed most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, and the Patriots have asked him to restructure his contract so that they won’t have to pay him the $7.5 million he’s owed on his current contract if he doesn’t play all 16 games in 2014. It’s highly unlikely that Wilfork will remain in New England without accepting a restructured contract, but that topic -- like many topics -- is an area about which Belichick will remain mum.