Getty New England Patriots, Bill Belichick
The New England Patriots haven’t had to worry about their free safety position for the past ten years. Future team Hall-of-Famer Devin McCourty has manned the position admirably, helping New England win three Super Bowls.
McCourty is having another strong season in 2022, but he’ll be a free agent at the end of the year, and there are some signs that he might be preparing to retire.
Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard wrote about the possibility and pointed out some signs suggesting McCourty might be set to follow his twin brother Jason McCourty’s path from the field to the analyst chair.
“Interesting that he [Devin McCourty] will be appearing on CBS NFL coverage on Sunday: He’ll first appear on “The Other Pregame Show” on CBS Sports Network, which airs at 9 a.m,” Bedard pointed out. “He’ll appear on “The NFL Today” on CBS around noon. Sounds like an audition to me.”
Jason McCourty Has Already Set to Path to Retirement For His Brother
Jason McCourty, who helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl as well, retired this past offseason and took a job as an analyst/personality on Good Morning Football. He has been excellent on the show and even roped Devin in on a few segments through the year’s first half.
McCourty can obviously still play at a high level. He has started all nine games for New England this season and has two interceptions.
The Patriots’ secondary was supposed to be one of the weakest areas of their team. However, McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, and the surprising play of cornerbacks Jonathon Jones, Jack Jones, and Jalen Mills has made it a strength of the roster.
Still, McCourty signed a one-year, $9 million deal to return to the Patriots this year. It might take a little more to keep the 35-year-old in New England. If the Patriots aren’t willing to pay to keep McCourty, he’d have to be willing to play elsewhere, which might be a tough sell for a 13-year-veteran who has never played for another team in his NFL career.
As we move closer to the end of the season, keep your eyes open for more indications that McCourty could be moving closer to retirement.
Around the NFL: NFL Nation Reacts to Stunning UFC Result
Alex Pereira upset one of the UFC’s greatest champions, Israel Adesanya, on Saturday night. The latter seemingly has Adesanya’s number. He beat him twice when both men were professional kickboxers. The second win came by stunning one-punch KO.
On Saturday, Pereira again recorded a stoppage win over Adesanya. This time, the win came in the fifth and final round, with Adesanya winning handily on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
There is a lot of crossover fandom with NFL players, coaches, front office, and media folks regarding mixed martial arts. Because of that, it was no surprise to see many from the NFL universe take to Twitter to react to Adesanya’s third loss to Pereira.
ESPN’s Louis Riddick had this take on Adesanya’s long-standing struggles to beat Pereira.
The realization that you just can’t seem to beat another competitor no matter how hard you try has. to be such a mind F.
I’m always inspired and introspective after #UFC fights. So much respect for these gladiators.
It’s almost like a division rival in football sweeps a team in the regular season, then turns around and knocks them out of the playoffs.
NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe acknowledged the quality of the fight, and he rebuffed any questions about the referee’s decision to stop the fight.
What a good fight and upset by Alex Pereira. That size and power made him a threat til he finally got Izzy Adesanya good. No problem with the stoppage. Izzy was done on his feet. Can’t wait to see the rematch. #UFC281
Some may argue the fight shouldn’t have been stopped, but there were several unanswered blows from Pereira, which usually gets the plug pulled in a fight.
Former NFL player Lorenzo Doss also complimented the fighters’ performances.
Alex Pereira with the knockout. Great fight by both guys. I thought Adesanya had this fight won until Pereira unleashed fury in the last round #UFC281
ESPN’s Mike Golic Jr. had one elongated word to describe the left hook that set up the finish.
sheiiiiiittt
All attention will turn to the Gridiron on Sunday for Week 10 action in the NFL.