The Patriots will end up keeping Jalen Mills in the fold, after all. The two-year New England cornerback starter agreed to terms on a deal that will move him back onto the team’s offseason roster Wednesday morning, The Score’s Jordan Schultz tweets.

Mills will come back on a one-year deal worth up to $6.1MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Last week, the Pats made Mills a cap casualty by taking his four-year, $24MM contract off the books. But after re-signing Jonathan Jones, the team will give Mills another shot as well.

Mills’ release surfaced last week, but ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss adds it never ended up taking place. Rather, Wednesday’s transaction is a restructure that lops 2024 off Mills’ contract and turns 2023 into a pay cut featuring incentives.

A former Super Bowl starter in Philadelphia, Mills helped New England withstand the exits of Super Bowl-era regulars Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson. Mills fared better in 2021; a groin injury limited him to 10 games last season. Mills has experience at both cornerback and safety, playing the latter position in 2020 for the Eagles. Despite Devin McCourty‘s retirement, the Pats have three experienced safeties — Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger — on the roster.

Although New England’s cornerback outlook is a bit foggier, Schultz adds the team is eyeing Mills as a safety. Mills should loom as the lead candidate to replace McCourty, NFL.com’s Mike Giardi tweets. Mills started 15 games for the Eagles at safety three seasons ago, but the Pats moved him back to corner during the 2021 offseason.

Pro Football Focus rated the former seventh-round find as a top-35 corner in 2021 but viewed him as a bottom-five player at the position last year. The 2021 assessment did come during a season in which Mills allowed seven touchdowns, but the 6-foot defender also finished that season having averaged 6.2 yards per target. The Patriots will see if he can prove worthy of a starting spot during his age-29 campaign.

Jones, 29, came back on a two-year, $19MM deal that included $13MM fully guaranteed. The versatile veteran will be back for an eighth season in New England. Rookie-contract players — Marcus and Jack Jones and Shaun Wade — comprise the other half of New England’s cornerback contingent, with the team extending an RFA tender to slot player Myles Bryant as well. The team will likely look at more upgrade options in the draft.

After working as a full-time starter for the Patriots over the past two seasons, Jalen Mills will return to free agency. The Patriots are releasing the veteran cornerback, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Mills, who has started 26 games for the Pats since 2021, was tied to a four-year deal worth $24MM. Two years remained on Mills’ contract, and the Patriots moving the veteran off the roster will create $4.9MM in cap space.

Having experience at both corner and safety, Mills should generate interest ahead of what will be his age-29 season. Mills did miss seven games in 2022, however, and Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s worst corners last season — after the ex-Eagle had fared better during his Pats debut in 2021.

New England, which regularly lets veteran corner starters walk in free agency, made the move to give Jonathan Jones a third contract earlier this week. He joins two other Joneses — Marcus and Jack — at cornerback in New England. A groin injury led to Mills missing extensive time down the stretch for the Pats, who used Jonathan Jones — one of the NFL’s better slot corners of recent years — more on the outside in 2022. The veteran excelled in that capacity, and the team now has Jones on a two-year, $19MM deal. He accompanies rookie-contract players at the position, with Mills’ $6MM-AAV contract being moved off the payroll.

A former seventh-round pick, Mills quickly outplayed his draft slot by becoming a starter for the Eagles during their Super Bowl LII-winning season. The Eagles turned to Mills as a starter throughout the 2017 regular season and into the playoffs that year. Injuries plagued Mills over the next two seasons, and the Eagles — after acquiring Darius Slay via trade — shifted him to safety in his contract year. The Pats still gave Mills $9MM guaranteed and paid him for two seasons, but the 6-foot defender will need to find a new team to play an eighth NFL slate.

Even with Bill Belichick‘s ability to churn out quality cornerback play and his collection of various Joneses at the position, the team should still be considered likely to address this position further in either free agency or the draft. After the Mills cut, the Pats hold more than $26MM in cap space.

The Patriots just won’t stop. After signing Jonnu Smith, Davon Godchaux, and Matt Judon to big deals already, New England is adding another high profile player.

The Pats are signing defensive back Jalen Mills, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Interestingly, Rosenhaus also represents both Smith and Godchaux, so clearly he and Bill Belichick have a good relationship. It’s a four-year deal for Mills, worth $24MM with $9MM of that guaranteed. The Patriots have been the most active team so far, and it isn’t even close.

New England entered free agency with a lot of cap space, and they weren’t about to let it go to waste. A seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016, Mills quickly established himself as a starter and was a huge part of the team that beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII as he started 15 games that year.

Known for his versatility, Mills has extensive experience at both cornerback and safety. Foot injuries limited him to only eight and nine games in 2018 and 2019, but he again started 15 in 2020. This past year he finished with 74 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three passes defended, and an interception.