Vince Wilfork, Defensive Pillar for Patriots, Won’t Return

Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said Thursday that he would not return to the New England Patriots next season, ending an 11-year stay in which he won two Super Bowls and established himself as the cornerstone of the team’s defense.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Wilfork said the team had told him that it would not pick up his option for 2015, making him eligible for free agency.

“I’m in a good place,” Wilfork said in the statement, adding: “I will take my time, think things through, take into consideration many things but mainly my family and see where life goes from there. But regardless, remember I will always remain a New Englander, a Patriot, forever.”

A 6-foot-2, 325-pound gap-stuffer who was drafted in the first round out of Miami in 2004, Wilfork helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl when he was a rookie. He returned to the title game in two losing efforts, and last month he helped the franchise win its fourth championship.

He was due to receive a $4 million roster bonus by Monday and would have gotten $14 million over the next two seasons if his option had been picked up. The money the Patriots saved could help them bring back cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Wilfork, 33, missed 14 games in 2013 with a torn Achilles’ tendon. But he returned to play in every game last season, including three in the postseason.


(nytimes.com)