:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69018578/1289818549.0.jpg)
Free agent running back James White will re-sign with the New England Patriots, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter. White was expected by many to move on from the Patriots, but with Bill Belichick and company going all in on free agency this season, it seems to follow that they’d keep White, who has been a fixture of the offense since being drafted. White will get a one-year deal for a fully guaranteed $2.5 million.
The consensus landing spot for White was Tampa Bay, as the Buccaneers need a strong receiving back and White’s history with Tom Brady is vast and productive. In the end, this may have come down to White choosing between the two and Belichick really not wanting to lose another player to Brady’s Bucs.
But however it happened, the Patriots are a better team with White running routes out of the backfield. Sony Michel and Damien Harris will continue to be early down runners and White will always have some trouble being a consistent fantasy asset, but his fit with the team has never been in doubt.