Impending free agent Dion Lewis has a lot of competition for his services and the New England Patriots are reportedly back in the running to re-sign the versatile running back.
According to a tweet by Boston Herald writer Jeff Howe, the AFC Champions are very interested in bringing back their leading rusher but it could come at a hefty price.
The Patriots have expressed interest in re-signing Dion Lewis, but most of the league is interested, too, according to a source. Pats will have to make a strong offer to keep him. Lewis might get offers as high as 3 years, $18 million.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 2, 2018
That mark would make Lewis one of the highest paid ball-carriers in the National Football League and the Patriots nine times out of 10 won’t pay top dollar for anybody.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick praised the running back’s ability as well as his physicality earlier on in the season.
“Dion’s got good strength,” Belichick said. “He’s got good balance. He’s got really good balance. He gets hit but a lot of times it’s not necessarily that he runs over a guy, it’s that he’s able to keep his balance and keep moving and then a lot of times regain his balance and continue to pick up positive yards. He’s a hard guy to tackle because he’s thick and he’s got good balance. A lot of times he absorbs the contact and is able to regain his balance and the defender is not able to finish the tackle.”
Lewis is set to hit the market when the league’s fiscal year begins on Mar.14.
