HOUSTON — The New England Patriots will play in Super Bowl LI on Sunday, and Jamie Collins will not.
If Patriots fans were told that before the season, they’d probably believe it’s because Collins had suffered some significant injury. In reality, though, Collins shockingly was traded on Oct. 31 to the Cleveland Browns, who have welcomed the linebacker with open arms and given him a four-year, $50 million contract extension.
“I remember the first week he came to Cleveland, in practice, his position and my position go up against each other quite a bit,” Browns tight end Seth DeValve told NESN.com’s Michaela Vernava on Friday at Radio Row, “and I was like, wow, this guy’s good, he’s going to be a great addition to our team, and the guys love him. So he was a great fit.”
But what of the rumblings that Collins wasn’t a model citizen in New England and could be a locker-room problem? DeValve said he hadn’t seen anything like that in Cleveland.
“And if I did, I probably wouldn’t say it here,” he said.
Watch the video above to hear more from DeValve, including his hopes for his second season with the Browns.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images