Cupcakes and cash not enough: Star linebacker chooses Pats over Jets

Hightower is the best remaining free agent available, and the Steelers are hoping to sign him to replace Lawrence Timmons, the veteran linebacker who signed Friday with the Dolphins.

To add Hightower to their team, it could be a small price to pay for the Jets. Most still expect Hightower, the fulcrum of New England’s championship-winning defenses, to be re-signed.

The most lucrative contract held by an National Football League inside linebacker belongs to Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthers. He then visited the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Essentially, the Patriots painted themselves into a corner in terms of their need at Hightower’s middle linebacker spot.

The difference in the Patriots defense without Hightower goes deeper than that. Convince Hightower he is part of a rebuild that could get revenge on his old team that is trying to squeeze him in negotiations.

Entering Wednesday New England had around $31.4 million in salary cap space to work with.

The Jets’ interest originally wasn’t looked at as anything more than a negotiating ploy by Hightower, but that may have been overstated.

Seferian-Jenkins reeled in 10 receptions for 110 yards while playing in seven games with the Jets last season.

A former first-round pick out of Alabama in 2012, Hightower can play multiple positions, as he has served as both a stand-up pass rusher and an in-the-box linebacker that can stop the run. Whatever flaws, however minor, are outweighed by Hightower’s 251 solo tackles and 17 sacks. In the playoffs, he posted 13 more tackles (9 solo, 4 assisted) along with a sack and a forced fumble on the way to the Super Bowl victory.

In 2016 Dont’a Hightower was voted to his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro.

In other words, they’re on a whole different level than everyone else and will already be going into the 2017 season as an improved team (on paper). They have been uncharacteristically aggressive over the past week, signing Stephon Gilmore to a monster deal and making a trade for Brandin Cooks.

The last major order of business surrounds restricted free agent cornerback Butler, who is scheduled to visit the Saints today to continue negotiating the terms of an offer sheet.