Wilfork can’t turn up nose to new uniform

FOXBORO - As the final seconds ticked down yesterday, Vince Wilfork [stats] wondered if he was playing his last game in a Patriots [team stats] uniform. The nose tackle has played out his six-year rookie deal, and while his preference is to remain with the Pats, Wilfork isn’t opposed to wearing another uniform.

“As the time ticked off that clock, it kind of dawned on me,” Wilfork said following the 33-14 season-ending wild card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. “I told my teammates, the guys I play with on that defense, ‘I don’t know if this is the last game I play with you or not, but if it is, man, I love you and I’m gonna miss you.’ We’ll go from here and see what happens.”

Wilfork, who put on a fur coat before leaving, told a Miami-based reporter he could envision playing there, or anywhere else.

“Yes, I can. I surely can,” said Wilfork, who grew up in Florida and attended the University of Miami, when asked if he can see himself putting on a different uniform next season. “This whole process, I’ve done what’s best for my family first, and it’s going to be first, now . . . it’s a business. Stuff happens all the time. People come, people leave all the time. Whatever happens, happens. It’s not up to me to stay here.”

The Pats do have some leverage. They can apply their lone franchise tag, which would lock up Wilfork for only a year. Wilfork’s preference all along has been to get a long-term deal done, and remain with the Patriots. He made it very clear he would not be happy receiving the franchise tag.

“Of course, I would,” he said when asked if he’d be upset. “I want a long-term deal. That’s something that, me and my wife, we want, and we’re gonna try and get a long-term deal done. So that’s first and foremost. So we’ll hit that. I’ll talk to my agent and we’ll see what’s going on in that area, and we’ll go from there.”

Wilfork led the team with 13 tackles in the season-ending loss. He played the nose and moved over to end on some plays.

“I hate to lose. It was very disappointing to me,” Wilfork said. “We played this game like it wasn’t a playoff game. . . . We talked all week how we needed to step our game up and we didn’t, and it showed.”

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(bostonherald.com)