HOUSTON — Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan is a few weeks away from getting a big payday as a free agent, but first he has one more game.
Ryan, who is scheduled to become a free agent in March, said Tuesday his focus is not on how much he can cash in for, but first winning Super Bowl LI against the Falcons on Sunday.
“No, not at all,” Ryan said when asked if he has thought about free agency. “I’m trying to enjoy this moment and really focus on this because at the end of the day, I can’t really do anything in free agency without focusing on this game. It’s much more important.”
The former Rutgers player would make sense for any team searching for a cornerback, including the Jets, who could be looking to replace both starting cornerbacks this offseason. Ryan, who grew up in Berlin, N.J., may not get out of Foxborough, though. He has become a vital cog in the Patriots’ machine. Ryan had a huge game against the Texans in the AFC divisional game with three passes defensed, seven tackles and a sack.
“Logan works hard,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the AFC Championship. “He studies film relentlessly. He does a great job preparing for the overall passing game and the individual matchup that he has. I think he’s one of the hardest working players, one of our smarter players that’s great at communication and understanding it. He has a lot of experience in this system and he and Devin [McCourty], Pat [Chung], Duron [Harmon], the corners all work well together, but he’s kind of right in the middle of it. His experience and overall knowledge of the game and the position are a big help for us defensively.”
Ryan has gone from a reserve two years ago, the Patriots’ last time in the Super Bowl, to a starter. He is now going to be faced with the daunting challenge of slowing down the high-powered Falcons passing attack.
Ryan could wind up covering Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu, his roommate at Rutgers.
“We’ve played against each other Vegabet when he was in Cincy and they came to New England once or twice,” Ryan said. “It’s not my first time, necessarily, going at each other at this stage. I think it will be a lot of fun. I think it will bring the best out of me, try to bring the best out of him and I think it will be an entertaining matchup. We went at it for years and I think it will be a lot of fun out there. A lot of competing, some trash-talking and a lot of laughing, too.”
Said Sanu: “It will be a lot of fun. It’ll be just like old times. Just compete harder than ever and just enjoy it.”
The Super Bowl matchup everyone wants to see is the Falcons offense against the Patriots defense. Ryan will be right in the middle of that. He has made a huge jump in the past few years. Pro Football Focus has him graded as the 14th best cornerback in football this season.
“I think last year I was asked to be more of a perimeter corner, which I embraced that role,” Ryan said. “I think this year I was asked to do that at times, and then I was asked to move to the slot at times. I was asked to blitz a little bit more. So, I think it’s what I am as a player. I’m a defensive football player. I’m not just one position, I feel like. I think it just showcases a little bit of what I can do, and I try to embrace the challenges that were tough earlier in my career and earlier just moving around all the time. I think I’m trying to embrace that and trying to show the versatility.”
He gets another chance to show that this Sunday and possibly get those free-agent suitors lining up to pay him.
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