Few head coaches in the NFL relish adding new wrinkles to their offense more than Bill Belichick.
Jeff Demps has agreed to a deal with the New England Patriots, Kevin O’Donnell of FOX 13 Tampa reports.
Demps’ official announcement will come later Friday afternoon. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a strong push for the former Florida Gators running back and Olympic silver medalist and had been in discussions with his representatives for many months.
In the end, Demps just felt that the Patriots were the better fit, according to the report.
Photo Via GatorZone.com
After visiting with New England, Demps is flying back to Orlando, where he will make his announcement.
The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts also showed interest in Demps’ services, before he decided to pick the Patriots.
Nohemy Baltodano, Demps’ track agent, is denying that a deal is done (via Twitter). However, while no one has reported Demps has officially signed on the dotted line, he has agreed to terms, according to ESPN’s John Clayton, Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network/NFL.com, who also quotes Baltodano.
“Belichick commented on Thursday that the team was in need of a kick returner, a role Demps filled at the University of Florida,” Rapoport also writes. ”Demps is also expected to play in the backfield and possibly at slot receiver.”
While at Florida, Demps, 22, amassed 2,951 yards from scrimmage (2,470 on the ground) with 24 touchdowns in four seasons. He also averaged 25.0 yards and a score on 10 kick returns last year.
Albeit he was eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft, Demps decided not to participate in any of the college football all-star games or pre-draft workouts and went undrafted in April, focusing solely on the Olympics.
Demps didn’t run on the USA’s 4×100 team, but earned a silver medal in London for being part of the team.
He’ll have a chance to put his blazing speed on display this season in New England in a crowded backfield with the likes of Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead and Spencer Larsen, as well as on special teams and in the passing game.
Verse of This Piece: “My son, keep your father’s commands, and don’t forget your mother’s teaching. Keep their words in mind forever as though you had them tied around your neck.”—Proverbs 6:20-21
Michael Gartman is a College Football and NFL Senior Writer, the AFC South and NFC West Lead Writer and the Founder, CEO of GridironGrit.com. He also writes for RantPolitical.com, where he reports on topics across all sides of the political spectrum and analyzes important issues in the liberty movement. Follow @_MichaelGartman, @RantPolitical and @GridironGrit on Twitter!
