FOXBORO, Mass. — Atiyyah Ellison's ears perk up when he hears that cash register ringing for business.
Ellison, a defensive lineman who signed Tuesday with the Patriots, set up a new ringtone for his agent last year when he bought his iPhone. Every time Jim Steiner calls him, Ellison hears that cash drawer singing a friendly tune.
"It's just funny to me because usually when they call, it's about money," said Ellison, who could barely get the words out because he was laughing so hard about his ringtone. "Either I owe him money, or we're going to get some money together."
The paradox of the situation is that Ellison won't even get paid this week because the Patriots aren’t playing a game. Yet, Ellison had been a free agent since getting cut by the Chiefs on Oct. 27, and he was just happy to get another shot. The Patriots are the seventh team of Ellison's career, which started as a Panthers third-round pick out of Missouri in 2005. He has also been with the Texans, Ravens, 49ers and Jaguars.
"It's not really about money at this point," said Ellison, who worked out for the Pats on Sunday before signing a contract two days later. "It's about fitting in and getting on with somebody. That’s really what my long-term goal is, just to stick somewhere."
To bide his time in the depths of free agency, Ellison has been working out at his home in Missouri. He's got a treadmill, bench press and squat rack.
Now, he's got a week to learn the Patriots' playbook and get ready for a divisional-round playoff game.
"It doesn’t happen much," Ellison said of transitioning from the street to the postseason. "It's something that is not impossible, but you don’t think it's going to happen to you, to possibly be in the playoffs and all that after basically being at home the whole year."
