Safety Devin McCourty had no argument with getting what he called a “player-friendly” franchise tag from the Patriots, but things played out a different way on Monday.
The Patriots opted to use the tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski instead, a move that McCourty said he didn’t know was coming until the Patriots made it. McCourty said there was “no real information” from the team ahead of time about where they’d go with the tag and correctly surmised that the chances he winds up playing elsewhere are greater in light of the move.
As for that, McCourty said he wants to remain with the Patriots but he knows that the best deal may be coming from somewhere else.
“It would definitely be bittersweet,” McCourty said, via Josina Anderson of ESPN. “You stay somewhere for five years and really make a name for yourself in that place. I’ve gotten a lot of help. I know a lot of people in the area, built great relationships, so it will definitely be bittersweet. But my mom always reminds me that comes with the territory. That’s part of being in the NFL, that change is always coming.”
With the Patriots still working out cornerback Darrelle Revis’s situation for the 2015 season, it seems likely that McCourty is going to be talking to other teams come the weekend. As the top safety hitting the market, there’s a good chance that one of them will make him an offer that leads to bittersweet feelings.