Report: Patriots sign Jamie Collins 3 years after trading him

The New England Patriots have signed free-agent linebacker Jamie Collins, a league source told Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.

Collins won a Super Bowl with the Patriots at the end of the 2014 season but was traded to the Cleveland Browns midway through the 2016 campaign. He spent two-plus seasons in Cleveland before getting released halfway through a four-year, $50-million contract.

Collins notched 104 tackles, four sacks, and one interception with the Browns last year. It was one of his better statistical seasons, though inconsistencies in his performance and effort contributed to his release.

The dynamic defender was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2013 out of Southern Miss. He made the Pro Bowl as a member of the Patriots in 2015.

Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower seemed fairly excited about the news of Collins' return: