Devin McCourty Admits Business Side of Free Agency Makes it Feel Pointless to Promise Return to New England

The New England Patriots will be hoping to maintain their defensive core this offseason, a unit which carried the team to a 12-4 record this season with its explosive and dominant play.

However, it won't be easy to keep everyone in town. Veteran safety Devin McCourty, who is set to hit free agency, conceded that at the end of the day football is a business and that guaranteeing a return to the Patriots would be unwise.

"You see how it's a business," he said. "Is it a cool headline if I say I want to be back? Yeah, but that doesn't really matter."

McCourty's comments highlight the reality that even a dynastic franchise like the Patriots can't retain everyone forever.

It's especially intriguing considering the fact that Patriots players have taken discounts to stay with the team on a fairly routine basis. Danny Amendola restructured his contract seemingly annually while he was in New England, and Tom Brady has never really earned his true market value.

McCourty is right to chase the largest contract he can. He's one of the best defensive backs in football and deserves every penny he'll earn in free agency.

Though it would be a great story to see him return to the franchise that drafted him, it's an inevitable fact of life that money talks.