Patriots, Jets Rumored to Be Leaders in Free Agency for Dont'a Hightower

The market for free-agent linebacker Dont'a Hightower is taking shape with two AFC East teams reportedly leading the chase. 

Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the New England Patriots and New York Jets "appear" to be Hightower's top suitors right now with "several" teams still keeping an eye on him. 

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported Saturday another team that's been in talks with Hightower is "convinced" he will be back with the Patriots.

Hightower is one of the few premier free agents left on the market, which is unusual given how quickly players tend to agree to deals once the moratorium passes. 

Per Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus, Hightower proved to be one of the more multifaceted defenders on the Patriots last season:

ESPN.com's Mike Reiss highlighted one potential reason why Hightower hasn't been able to find a deal that breaks the bank to this point.

"When I reached out to a coach for one linebacker-needy NFL team about Hightower, the response surprised me," Reiss wrote. "Hightower, I was told, wasn’t a fit for that team. One example was that one of Hightower’s best assets is his rush ability, and this particular team doesn’t use its linebackers that way."

Something else potentially working against Hightower is durability. He has missed at least three games in each of the past three seasons and has only appeared in 16 games during a single season once in his career.

Hightower, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Patriots and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016. He's been an incredibly valuable piece of the defensive puzzle, and this is his first chance to cash in on that success at the age of 27.