One of the more coveted remaining free agents is O’Brien Schofield, getting interest and offers from six different teams, including the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, and will probably make up his mind in the next couple of weeks.
The Patriots worked out the veteran linebacker, who played for the Falcons last season and started a career high 11 games. An edge rusher from the linebacker position, Schofield will provide cover for both teams, which is especially necessary for the Patriots after Rob Ninkovich tore his tricep muscle. The Falcons have added Dwight Freeney, but are still looking at adding more pass rushing players, and they’re quite familiar with what Schofield can do.
The 29-year old, however, is surprisingly still without a team. If the Falcons wanted him, considering they had him last season, wouldn’t have they picked him up by now? It’s probably a matter of salary. Schofield, who played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks previously in his career, including being on the Seahawks 2013 Super Bowl team. He signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the New York Giants after the 2013 season, but a medical problem voided the deal, and he re-signed with the Seahawks. He played for $1.7 million last season, and is hoping for a better offer, which probably hasn’t come in yet.
One team some expected to be going after Schofield are the Washington Redskins, losing Junior Gallette to a season-ending injury. However, the Redskins don’t seem to be interested, which leaves us wondering who the other four teams are except for the Falcons and Patriots.
Last season, in 16 games, including 11 starts, Schofield had two sacks and 28 tackles for the Falcons. He had a combined 8.5 sacks in two seasons (2011-2012) when he played for the Arizona Cardinals, his peak when it comes to reaching the quarterback.