Dont'a Hightower Resigns With The Pats

The #Patriots and star LB @zeus30hightower reach a deal for 4 years, $43.5M, $19M guaranteed, per @_sportstrust.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2017

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I literally exhaled and said thank God when I found out the Pats resigned Dont'a. I just feel a sense of relief.  The talks around the NFL have been that he was most likely going to return to the Pats, but I wasn't going to believe that until it was official. Just the pessimistic inside of me. Sry. I just did not feel comfortable letting him get to free agency, I really thought he was gone. I figured some team would offer him a deal the Pats wouldn't come close to matching.

With Dont'a visiting the Jets and Steelers the last week or so I was wicked scared that he'd sign with one of those teams. I think they both made a big mistake by not adding him, it makes them better and weakens the Pats. Which basically would be worst case scenario to me. Jets and Steelers are towards the top of my hate list and will be there on until the day I die. Actually my hate for them will follow me into the grave. To lose one of my favorite (and most important players on the team) players to a team I hate would be devastating. Luckily that didn't happen.

I've been working on my NCAA tournament blog for the last few hours want to get back to that but I had to say something about Dont'a returning. I'm just relieved he's coming back. Now the Pats just need to get everything with Malcolm Butler figured out. But that's for another post. 

The easy comparison to make with this re-signing is that of safety Devin McCourty after the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX. He tested free agency, but ultimately returned to the Patriots with a fair deal. Hightower is now locked up for 4 years at 43.5 million dollars with 19 million guaranteed. He's definitely worth the money but I'm shocked there wasn't a team that went crazy higher. I'm glad to see Dont'a stayed with a winning over getting paid with a bum organization (Jets). Hightower who like Devin is a team captain did the same and ultimately returned. Now the Patriots defense which has vastly improved this off season now has it's All-Pro linebacker returning for the next 4 (we'll see) years. 

Now that Dont'a is back I'm all in the Pats winning their 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years for the second time. Wonder who we'll play in Minnesota? My guess is the Packers.

​What's even better news is now I can order this bad boy. 
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