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Baltimore Ravens safety Jaylinn Hawkins recently opened up about his exit from the New England Patriots during an appearance on The Lounge Podcast.
Hawkins played for the Patriots for two seasons, but he made a big impact in his short time with the team, recording 19 tackles, four interceptions, seven passes defended and 1.5 sacks across 32 games. His veteran contributions in the secondary helped form one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL last season.
But it ended in free agency, with the Patriots signing former Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard and Hawkins landing in Baltimore. For Hawkins, it all came as a surprise.
“I actually didn’t expect it,” Hawkins said. “I was in conversation with the Patriots. I believe the [Dallas] Cowboys and the [Houston] Texans reached out. ...[Ravens] Coach [Jesse] Minter and everybody reached out from here, and I was like, ‘OK, cool.’ We were in conversation. ...Pats, they fell off the radar. I was going back and forth with the [Carolina] Panthers. And then, I decided to come here and we worked it out.”
Everything worked out for both sides in the end.
Byard was a First-Team All-Pro safety who led the league in interceptions last season. He also has a close relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel stemming from their time together with the Tennessee Titans.
With that said, Hawkins is also in a good situation playing next to two-time All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and a Ravens team determined to get back to playoff contention.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 15-game starter comments on surprising free agency split with Patriots
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Hawkins played for the Patriots for two seasons, but he made a big impact in his short time with the team, recording 19 tackles, four interceptions, seven passes defended and 1.5 sacks across 32 games. His veteran contributions in the secondary helped form one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL last season.
But it ended in free agency, with the Patriots signing former Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard and Hawkins landing in Baltimore. For Hawkins, it all came as a surprise.
“I actually didn’t expect it,” Hawkins said. “I was in conversation with the Patriots. I believe the [Dallas] Cowboys and the [Houston] Texans reached out. ...[Ravens] Coach [Jesse] Minter and everybody reached out from here, and I was like, ‘OK, cool.’ We were in conversation. ...Pats, they fell off the radar. I was going back and forth with the [Carolina] Panthers. And then, I decided to come here and we worked it out.”
Everything worked out for both sides in the end.
Byard was a First-Team All-Pro safety who led the league in interceptions last season. He also has a close relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel stemming from their time together with the Tennessee Titans.
With that said, Hawkins is also in a good situation playing next to two-time All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and a Ravens team determined to get back to playoff contention.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 15-game starter comments on surprising free agency split with Patriots
Continue reading...
