The Patriots opted not to use their franchise tag on safety Devin McCourty, but they won’t run the risk of losing McCourty as a free agent after re-signing him on Sunday.
According to multiple sources, McCourty signed a five-year deal with $28.5 million guaranteed and a total value of $47.5 million should McCourty play out the life of the deal. During an interview with CSN New England on Sunday night, McCourty said that he was close to making a deal with one of the other teams pursuing him — the Giants, Titans, Eagles and Jaguars were all bidding — but that the Patriots offered the best mix of money and opportunity to win.
“We wanted to be happy and we wanted to win,” McCourty said. “We felt we had an opportunity . . . at really all those places, we saw ways we could win. Obviously being in New England for five years, there’s no kind of mystery or question. I know we can win here. We’ve already done it. That’s where [the Patriots] came in first in that category. And financially they stepped up and hit all the numbers that I wanted. I think that’s what matters, what was going to make me happy.”
With McCourty’s return assured, the Patriots will now be dealing with finding agreement with cornerback Darrelle Revis on a contract that pays him less than the fully guaranteed $20 million he’s set to make if he’s on the roster when the new league year opens on Tuesday.