Trey Flowers' NFL career has come full circle.
The New England Patriots signed Flowers in free agency Tuesday morning after the veteran edge rusher reportedly worked out for the team Monday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first to report Flowers' signing.
The Patriots selected Flowers with their fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he blossomed into a productive defender for New England, recording 21 sacks, 59 quarterbacks hits and five forced fumbles over four seasons while earning a pair of Super Bowl rings.
Flowers signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Lions in 2019 and recorded seven sacks for Detroit that season, but has been hampered by injuries ever since. The 29-year-old has only played in 18 of a possible 50 games over the past five seasons, missing all but four games for the Miami Dolphins in 2022 after the Lions released him in March 2022.
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Still, Flowers has familiarity with the Patriots' system and gives Bill Belichick's club extra depth on the edge behind regular contributors Matthew Judon (who just received a new contract adjustment), Josh Uche and Deatrich Wise.
