Not long after we published a post identifying the notable defenders still on the free agent market, another big name is about to become available. The Patriots have informed veteran safety Adrian Wilson that he’ll be released today, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Wilson himself broke the news a little earlier, tweeting: “Thank you to the Patriots organization for the opportunity. I look forward to the future.”
After spending 12 seasons with the Cardinals, Wilson was set to play for the Patriots in 2013, but tore his Achilles in the team’s preseason finale and missed the entire season. According to Garafolo, however, the 34-year-old will be healthy for the 2014 season and wants to continue his playing career. Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link) believes a return to the Cards is unlikely for Wilson, but considering he isn’t far removed from his most recent Pro Bowl season (2011), the former third-round pick should receive some interest.
For New England, Wilson became expendable when the club decided to re-sign a former Patriot, adding Patrick Chung to the safety mix earlier this week. Wilson had a cap number of about $1.833MM, so cutting him will leave the team with about $667K in dead money on the books for 2014, creating about $1.667MM in cap savings.