Browns' Jamie Collins denies he asked Patriots for 'Von Miller money'
Collins also said that the Browns feel like more of a family than the Patriots
Immediately after the Patriots traded away Jamie Collins to the Browns on Tuesday, multiple theories emerged that tried to explain the Patriots' decision to trade away one of their best defensive players.
Among them: Collins was freelancing a bit too much. He was actually overrated. The Patriots figured they wouldn't be able to afford him when his contract expires after this season and they didn't want to lose him in free agency. That last theory was backed up by ESPN's Adam Schefter, who reported that Collins was looking for "Von Miller money."
But on Wednesday, Collins -- a very good player who is not close to being at Miller's level -- disputed that report.
"I don't know nothing about Von Miller money," Collins said at his introductory locker room interview Wednesday, per Cleveland.com. "Nothing. It never came out of my mouth, never. Let's be smart. Let's all have some common sense.''
It was also reported by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that Collins turned down a contract that included $11 million per season. Again, Collins disputed that report.
"I didn't get anything," he said.
In addition to denying those reports, Collins was also given a chance to burn the Patriots. He took that chance. Here's a portion of the transcript, via Cleveland.com:
On his first impression of the Browns: "It's a family around here, definitely. You can talk to anyone around here, any of these guys, they're close, you're going to feel welcome."
More of a family feel than in New England?: "Yeah, it's a different level."
Meanwhile, over in New England, Bill Belichick justified the trade by saying he used his "professional judgement" to determine the Patriots are a better team after the trade. That might be the most Belichick explanation ever.
My theory? The Patriots didn't want to overpay for Collins in free agency, probably because they didn't think as highly of him as others did. And, though they certainly could've used him this season, they certainly could use an extra draft pick in next year's draft to build a better team around Tom Brady before he steps away from the game.
If Patriots had let Collins walk in FA, they'd get a third round compensatory pick in 2018. With this trade, they get one in 2017
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 31, 2016
Regardless, I'll trust the Hoodie in pretty much anything. At this point in his career, he's defintiely earned the right to make decisions based on his "professional judgement."
















