When the Tennessee Titans released nine-year corner Jason McCourty, the internet immediately shipped him to New England to be with his twin brother, Devin.
While the connection was obvious, the match didn't come to fruition. This week, Jason signed a two-year deal to play for the Cleveland Browns.
Joining NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Thursday, Jason McCourty said there was interest from both sides in him joining his twin in Foxborough, but the Pats didn't need his services.
"I think there was definitely mutual interest," McCourty said. "Me and Devin have never hid the fact that us playing together would be a dream come true. My mom kind of has hinted at that since we both got into the league. She knows it would be a lot easier only having to travel to one city during the season.
"I think there was definitely mutual interest, but to be honest, the Patriots are kind of set at cornerback. They have a lot of talent in that room. There really wasn't room for me. Me and Dev talked about that and that's just the way of the league. I'm excited about the opportunity I have in Cleveland to work with those guys."
The Patriots added high-priced free agent corner Stephon Gilmore in free agency and held on to Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler on a restricted tender. New England also own cheaper backups in Eric Rowe, Justin Coleman and 2016 second-round pick Cyrus Jones.
Perhaps if the Pats had traded Butler before the draft, bringing in McCourty would have made sense. Butler's return, however, made the Browns a better fit for McCourty in 2017.
A reunion for the Rutgers twins will have to wait for at least another year or two.
