Had a feeling the Wilfork situation could turn ugly and it looks like it this might be the end for him in New England. Wilfork’s Achilles injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for him or the team – he was due a major salary and the recovery from that kind of injury is no sure thing.
It was expected the Pats would ask him to restructure, likely in the form of an extension that could minimize his cap hit and give him a fair chance to prove he could return to an elite level of play, but it doesn’t look like Vince is interested in that.
He fought long and hard for his new deal in 2010 and things got close to turning ugly a couple of times, but cooler heads prevailed and the Pats locked him up to a five-year, $40 million deal with $25 million guaranteed and an $18 million signing bonus.
If this is the end of Wilfork in the New England it’s a sad day. He carried the defense through their defensive turnover from the dynasty days to what the Pats have now and it’s unclear how the Pats will move forward without their key piece in the middle.
They have some young depth in Sealver Siliga who really came on at the end of 2013 but you can’t just replace Vince Wilfork.
He’ll always be a Patriot legend in my book. Sad that it had to end this way.
#Patriots Pro Bowl DT Vince Wilfork has asked that the team release him after 10 seasons in New England, according to sources.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2014