Kyle Love will play in New England this year. Negotiations are ongoing about whether he’ll play in New England beyond this year.
The Patriots have announced that Love, a defensive lineman who was an exclusive-rights free agent, has signed his one-year tender offer. That means he’ll get a base salary of $540,000 this year, his third year in the NFL, and then become a restricted free agent next year.
However, the Boston Herald reports that Love and the Patriots are still working on a two-year contract that would give Love a signing bonus and more money this year, but also give the Patriots the security of knowing he couldn’t leave in free agency next year. A deal like that sounds like it would make sense for both sides, but Love has been an exclusive-rights free agent for more than four months now and they haven’t been able to come to terms yet.
After signing with the Patriots in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State, Love was a bit player as a rookie. But he came on very strong last year, entering the starting lineup in Week Four and starting every game after that, through the Super Bowl.
