Giants, Lions Reportedly 'In Play' for LeGarrette Blount After 2017 NFL Draft

The Detroit Lions and New York Giants are reportedly the front-runners to land veteran running back LeGarrette Blount in free agency.

On Monday, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported the two NFC teams headlined those "squarely in play" for Blount after the dust settled following the 2017 NFL draft.

Blount enjoyed two consecutive solid seasons with the Patriots, but it hasn't led to ample interest on the open market.

The power rusher tallied 703 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games for New England in 2015. He re-signed with the organization under a one-year deal for 2016 as a free agent last year and responded with a monster campaign, rushing for 1,161 yards and 18 scores in the regular season.

Once again, however, those numbers haven't led to a barrage of offers for the 30-year-old Oregon product, who's averaged 4.4 yards per carry across 100 NFL games.

Andrew Mahoney of the Boston Globe noted the running back said on the NFL Network in February he preferred a return to the Patriots but didn't want to close any doors.

"I just want to make sure I go into free agency with an open mind," Blount said. "I definitely want to go back to New England. I love it there. I love the culture, I love the players. I've become close with a lot of the guys."

Both the Lions and Giants make sense on the surface. Detroit currently features Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick, who both dealt with injuries in 2016, atop its depth chart. New York's backfield is led by Paul Perkins and Shane Vereen, leaving room for a bigger back to handle short-yardage work.

Meanwhile, a return to New England for Blount became far less likely when the defending champions signed restricted free agent Mike Gillislee away from the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills.