James Develin played his last snap for the Patriots, but you may not have seen the last of him in New England.
The Patriots fullback announced his retirement Monday on Instagram, ending a 10-year NFL career that included eight seasons with the New England Patriots.
Yet Develin referred to his former team as "we" during an interview Friday with WEEI's "Dale & Keefe," and admitted he hopes to remain involved with the team in a non-playing role.
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"Hey, I was there for eight years," Develin said. "Like I said before, I hope I am part of the organization in some capacity going forward. Hopefully I am a Patriot for life."
In what capacity could Develin help the Patriots? The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported the hard-nosed 31-year-old has considered a strength and conditioning job.
Develin doesn’t feel compelled to rush into the next phase of his professional life but sounded eager to remain in football in some capacity, preferably with a focus on strength and conditioning. Develin’s epic workout routines were famous throughout the locker room, and he said the idea of joining the Patriots’ strength staff has been kicked around, perhaps in a similar capacity to roles previously shared by Joe Andruzzi and Sammy Morris.
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Andruzzi has been a part-time assistant strength coach for the Patriots for several years, while Morris spent three seasons as the Patriots' assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2016 to 2018.
Both reported to head strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera, who joins assistant strength and conditioning coach Deron Mayo (Jerod Mayo's brother) as the team's only two full-time strength coaches.
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New England may have a void to fill in that department this season: Many Patriots players previously worked with Alex Guerrero, Tom Brady's personal trainer who presumably will follow the Buccaneers quarterback to Tampa Bay.
As Howe mentioned, Develin may take some time off before diving into a strength role with the Patriots. The former Pro Bowler is well-respected in New England, though, so don't be surprised if you see him back at Gillette Stadium in the future.