The New England Patriots are on the market this offseason, looking to strengthen their roster on all sides of the football. Thursday, news broke that former Patriots linebacker Trey Flowers is going to be released from the Detroit Lions.

The defensive end will be released on the first day of the 2022 NFL year. Lions beat reporter Dave Birkett tweeted the news Thursday afternoon.

The new NFL season will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST on March 16. This also marks the official start of the Free Agency period.

Even before Flowers' official departure from Detroit, rumors of him returning to New England are already circulating the sports world.

Patriots beat reporter Evan Lazar tweeted the rumor, stating that fans should pay attention to the possibility of Flowers rejoining the Patriots rather than Chandler Jones of the Arizona Cardinals.

Flowers spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Patriots and won two Super Bowl championships with New England. He signed with the Lions in 2019 and has been there ever since. However, the 28-year-old was riddled with injuries during his time with Detroit. He missed nearly 20 games due to multiple different injuries that landed him on the Injured Reserve in 2020 and 2021.

The rumor doesn't seem too far-fetched, since many reports state that the Patriots are looking to build upon their linebacker position. Flowers is currently nursing a knee injury he suffered in Week 10 of this past season. However, he should be ready to go ahead of training camp this summer.