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Report: Adrian Wilson to visit with Patriots

 03.14.13 at 10:10 pm ET
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Adrian Wilson

Adrian Wilson reportedly will visit with the Patriots. (AP)

The Patriots are going to host veteran safety Adrian Wilson on a visit, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Wilson, who was released last Friday by the Cardinals in a cap-related move, is a five-time Pro Bowler who spent the last 12 seasons in Arizona. The 33-year-old is a 6-foot-3, 230-pounder out of North Carolina State who has a rep around the league as a high-character guy and great locker-room influence.

“In every franchise, there is a select group of players whose contributions earn them iconic status and for us, Adrian Wilson will always be one of those players,” Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said in a statement issued by the team when Wilson was released.

“He joined us at a key time in our organization’s evolution and helped lead us into a new era. We will always be grateful for that and look forward to the day when he’s placed in the Ring of Honor at University of Phoenix Stadium alongside the other all-time great Cardinals.”

Honestly, the question right now might be how much he has left in the tank. His role started to shrink in 2011, and was pulled off the field as a nickel defensive back at several points late in 2012. Still in all, he played in 15 games last season (14 starts) with 54 tackles (39 of them solo), to go along with five passes defensed and an interception. For his career, he has 27 career picks (including five in 2009) and 87 career passes defensed, including 14 in 2011 and 13 in 2009.

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  • gamma

    Please sign him, he would be  a great addition to the secondary

  • Dano S

    You  add John Abraham and Adrian Wilson to this defense then get some cover guys either thru
    draft or free agency this would be an impressive defense. Get em signed.

  • whitey

    Now were talking!!!! I also read that John Abraham is coming for a visit on friday!!!  Perfect!!  Let’s hope that the Pats sign both!!!  Wilson is a solid veteran safety, that won’t cost them much!!  Abraham would be a nice compliment to Chandler Jones, and would give them a legit pass rushing threat!!  I would have preferred Ed Reed, but Wilson can play, so we will take him!!  Hopefully they can get these guys, and resign Talib, and possibly another decent corner, and they are right back at the top of the Afc!!  If they can put together a defense that can be in the top 10-15 in the league, then I think they have a strong shot at the Afc title next year..

  • http://twitter.com/JohnWallOfText John Wall OfText

    I think we need someone who can cover people.

    • Bruinman86

       Agreed.  Someone with say….3-7 years in the league, not so much 12.

    • CJ

      i know more than you- just look at my 5-6 year track record of drafting and signing CB’s and Safeties. I know more than you. BB

  • Bruinman86

    could be a good signing.  No telling what he has left at his age and size.  6’3″, 230 is a big guy.  I can’t imagine he has much speed.

    • whitey

      This guy is as durable as they come!!!  He has missed only 11 games over 12 seasons.. He is a monster as far size goes!!   Did you watch the Afc championship??  Sadly I did, and what I saw from Steve Gregory scared the crap out of me!!  What a horrible player that guy is!!  Wilson may be 33, but that’s not terribly old for a safety, especially a safety that has a minimal injury history.  This guy crashes the box on runs, and when he hits a back, he goes down!!  He is a strong blitzer, evidenced by his sack totals,and he is also decent in coverage, so i think he is a definite upgrade over Gregory, Chung, and Tavon Wilson!!  I think he can be had at 2 years and 4 million per, which would be a cap friendly deal…Signing him along with Abraham will be a strong step back to respectability of the defensive side of the ball!!

      • Bruinman86

        It’s quite possible some of the players we have in the secondary aren’t that bad, but because 1) They got little to no pressure on Flaco, even a great secondary would have had issues and 2) The fact they have some really bad players who look lost, it means the rest look bad trying to make up for it and are often out of position trying to cover more area than they should have to. I for one was glad to see Chung go. Couldn’t rely on him to be healthy, and when he finally was, he sucked. Hopefully Wilson helps out. I hope they pick up a corner or 2.

  • ScoopBurton

    I thought Adrian worked in a pet store.

  • Koby

    awesome sign him and abraham, and get a CB, we will be dominant!

  • tom

    this who the pats need to a shut down CB

    DeAngelo
    Hall

  • JD

    2 shutdown CB’s came and went and the Pats did not even sniff- Cox to SD and Smith to KC. Smith made all the sense in the world as he was familiar with the AFC east……they must be set at CB due to BB’s stellar drafting over the last 5-6 seasons

  • over the hill

    Would be nice if they signed guys like this while in their prime.

  • Atomictickets

    He could be a short term fix back there like an Ed Reed and he may have lost a step but he can still HIT ! I think he’d be a positive influence back there and he’s a BIG DB !

  • Titletown1

    Another bargain basement, penny pinching move that has characterized BB and the Pats over the last five years….we need corners who can cover and a wide receiver; neither need has been addressed.

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