James White is grateful for Patriots return after a serious hip injury
"For [Bill Belichick] to have confidence in me still means a lot."
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Last year, running back James White talked about what it meant to him to return to the Patriots for an eighth season after signing a one-year deal to remain in Foxborough.
This year, his reunion with New England in free agency feels even more significant after the hip injury that ended his 2021 season prematurely.
White told reporters during a Monday conference call he had “a lot” of doubt at first about whether or not he’d even be able to play after the hip subluxation he suffered in Week 3 against New Orleans last season.
“Being confined to a bed for the first few months and not really being able to move around and do things for myself, you think to yourself, ‘How could I ever run and move and move and all that stuff ever again?'” he said of his recovery from hip surgery. “But obviously as the months go on and things start to loosen up, you start moving around doing more of the normal things you’re used to doing and building that confidence back up again.”
Apparently, White’s progress has been good enough for the Patriots to offer him another chance to catch passes out of the backfield for Mac Jones.
The veteran running back signed an incentive-heavy two-year, $2.5 million contract to stay in Foxborough and should again resume his role as the team’s primary third-down back assuming he’s healthy enough to make it through training camp.
White, who said he’s “in a good spot” health-wise, admitted he didn’t know how much interest he would get on the free-agent market, including from the Patriots, coming off of such a serious injury.
But he gave credit to Bill Belichick, who’s still the only head coach White has ever known, for taking a chance on him.
“Bill…wanted me back, so that was important to me,” the running back said. “To still be wanted after this was definitely something that helped me out a lot.
“Bill’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. We’ve built a great relationship over the years, and for him to still have confidence in me still means a lot.”
White will re-join long-time teammates like Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, and Brian Hoyer for another go-round with the Patriots in an offseason seemingly geared toward maintaining the team’s culture and identity rather than overhauling the roster.
When viewed through that prism, it’s hardly a surprise New England would give White another shot: there are few better examples of the “Patriot Way” than the former undrafted free agent-turned Super Bowl hero.
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