The New England Patriots did not need to carve out much salary cap space to bring back Jamie Collins.
The new contract the veteran linebacker signed this week was a one-year, $1.075 million deal, according to a report Sunday from the Providence Journal's Mark Daniels.
Collins will be making much more from his old team, the Detroit Lions, who released him last week but still owed him $8.8 million in guaranteed money.
This is the third stint in New England for Collins, who previously played for the Patriots from 2013 to 2016 and again in 2019. The 31-year-old said he "couldn't stop smiling" after he signed earlier this week.
"It was just super cool, man, to come back in here and just know that I can go out with these guys again," Collins said Friday. "For a third time. Like, three times? That's big. I'm just super grateful for it."
Collins said he hopes to be active for Sunday's matchup against the Houston Texans.
