The New England Patriots have a history of letting good players walk, and it's looking like that's about to happen again.
According to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, the Patriots are not expected to use their franchise tag on anyone, which includes defensive lineman Trey Flowers. That means Flowers will be able to freely hit the open market this month.
Now, that does not necessarily mean that Flowers is definitely a goner, but given New England's track record, it seems almost inevitable that Flowers will be playing his football elsewhere next season.
The 25-year-old is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he racked up 57 tackles, 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He also added a couple of sacks during the Patriots' playoff run that resulted in a Super Bowl title.
Flowers, who played his collegiate football at the University of Arkansas, was originally selected by New England in the fourth round (101st pick overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
He played in just one game during his rookie campaign due to a shoulder injury, but the following season, Flowers appeared in all 16 contests, finishing with 45 tackles, seven sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Then, in 2017, Flowers totaled 62 stops, 6.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles.
The Patriots won 11 games and captured their 10th straight AFC East division title this past season.
They then went on to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC playoffs before topping the Los Angeles Rams for their sixth Super Bowl championship.
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