It’s going to be really interesting to see how it plays out. The Patriots are going to want Mayo back, but I think they’ll try to get him to restructure. The Pats have the leverage now that they could let Mayo walk and still be okay. But you get the feeling that Mayo is beloved inside the walls of Foxboro and that’s why I think he’ll be back. He understands what is coming and coming off two season-ending injuries, it would be hard for him to walk and get a great deal somewhere.
I’ve always had my issues with Mayo. Love his speed, don’t think he has the best awareness in space nor does he have a knack for the ball like Bruschi had. Still, he’s a major leader on this team so I think they’ll want to keep him.
How it plays out from an Xs-and-Os standpoint will remain to be seen, but it would be hard to take Hightower and Collins off the field given the job they’ve done in Mayo’s absence. Perhaps it would allow Hightower to go back to more of an edge role, so that could be a beneficial trickle-down to Ninkovich and Chandler.