HOUSTON -- Now that the final game of the season is just days away for the New England Patriots, and things have settled down from the hectic initial pace for wide receiver Michael Floyd, he has had a chance to consider what happens next.
He wants back in for 2017.
“I hope to be back in Foxborough,” Floyd told ESPN.com. “I love it here. I hope that I can make that happen, for sure.”
At the same time, Floyd said he has never been in this position before as an unrestricted free agent, and thus can’t say for certain how the process will unfold. But one thing was clear when speaking with him on Thursday: If all things are equal, the Patriots have the edge over other teams because of his experience the last six weeks, and also as a result of him already having a head start with the offense.
“I think it’s always something you’re comfortable with,” he said. “Obviously, I came into this team late, but I learned the offense, and that’s something you want to keep doing and become even more productive for next year. That’s what I’m really looking forward to, getting better with the offense here and just moving forward.”
Asked WR Michael Floyd what happens next, football-wise, after SB51. "I hope to be back in Foxboro. I love it here." pic.twitter.com/9W4gGvmbIA
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 3, 2017
This is as definitive as Floyd, who faces legal issues in the offseason from his December DUI arrest in Arizona, has been when asked about his future since the Patriots claimed him from the Cardinals in mid-December.
Of course, that always could change if Floyd hits the open market and another team makes an offer that would be hard to refuse.
The Patriots’ offensive coaching staff has had positive things to say about Floyd at Super Bowl LI, praising him for his work ethic on a daily basis and also noting how he has fit nicely into the wide receiver group overall.
Floyd was inactive for the AFC Championship Game, a result of the team being able to carry only four receivers because of needs on other areas of the 46-man game-day roster.
He knows that could once again be the case in Super Bowl LI, but is preparing as if he’ll be active.
“I think you have to approach each and every week the same. You have to prepare yourself like you’re going to play, and I think that’s something I do every single week, because you never know what can happen in a practice or anything,” he said. “You just have to make sure that you’re prepared, so whatever happens, you’re the next man up and the speed of the game won’t be a letdown for you.”
Summing up the last six weeks in New England, Floyd said, “The experience has been great, just starting from coming here late into the season, making new friends on this team, making a run to now. It’s just been exciting, and I’m just enjoying the ride.”