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New England Patriots Must Re-sign Devin McCourty For Any Hopes To Repeat

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By @ConnorFultonRS

Devin McCourty New England Patriots

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Change is the nature of the NFL. It is extremely difficult for a defending champion to hang on to all of their key fixtures after winning the Super Bowl; repeat champs are few and far between in pro football. For the New England Patriots to buck that trend and become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the 2004 Patriots, they absolutely must re-sign Devin McCourty.

Since completing the switch from cornerback to safety, McCourty has ranked as one of the very best in his position. He has emerged as the best Patriots safety since Rodney Harrison, although he is a different breed of safety than the NBC analyst. McCourty’s best work is done behind the scenes, blanketing deep routes and filling passing lanes. Furthermore, he’s one of the best tackling defensive backs in the league.

In five seasons, McCourty has missed only three games. He’s also very accustomed to winning, having been to the playoffs in each campaign as well as four AFC Championships and two Super Bowls. Throughout his young career, McCourty has been a central fixture in the Pats’ secondary. D-Mac is as dependable of a player as they come.

McCourty’s value can’t be measured solely by his outstanding on-field exploits. As captain, McCourty holds a high office in the locker room and other internal affairs; he’s considered to be a very good teammate. Plain and simple, McCourty is just a great guy, as evidenced by his being the Patriots’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The Patriots would miss him in more ways than one if he departed.

It’s not like McCourty is trying to wield his importance over New England’s head. He has explicitly said that he wants to remain a Patriot, calling the team “home”. But business being business, it likely won’t be that simple.

If he really wants to cash-in, McCourty could sign with a team in dire need of secondary help, such as the Philadelphia Eagles or Tennessee Titans. His twin brother, Jason, has publicly said that he is doing his best to recruit McCourty to Tennessee. To retain McCourty, the Pats will likely slap him with the franchise tag. If they decide to use the tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, however, the Patriots had better be ready to break out the wallet for McCourty.

Notice that Darrelle Revis has not come up in this article. Re-signing Revis is also very important, but McCourty deserves a conversation of his own. Certainly, he has earned the attention. Without a doubt, he deserves a check signed by Robert Kraft, not any other owner.

Connor Fulton is a Patriots and NFL writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ConnorFultonRS, or find him on Google.

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