Ricky Jean Francois Announces He Won't Return to Patriots, Will Be FA

Defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois announced Friday that he will not return to the New England Patriots in 2018.

According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Jean Francois released the following statement through his public relations representative:

"I plan on continuing to play at the highest level. Hopefully I made a strong case for myself this past season. I did absolutely everything I could to help the Patriots during my short time there, and I learned that playbook immediately. It takes a special type of player and discipline to do that so quickly. My priority right now is to find a stable home where I can step in and make a similar impact for a few more seasons before I ride off into the sunset."

The 31-year-old is set to enter his 10th NFL season in 2018.

Jean Francois began the 2017 season with the Green Bay Packers and appeared in six games for them before he was released.

He then appeared in six regular-season games for the Pats and finished the campaign with a total of 12 tackles.

Jean Francois also took part in three playoff contests for New England and registered six tackles along with one sack.

The 2009 seventh-round pick out of LSU has enjoyed stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins, Packers and Patriots during his NFL career.

In 121 career regular-season games, Jean Francois has 176 tackles and 12.0 sacks to his credit.

New England appears likely to experience significant turnover along the defensive line, as it also declined the 2018 option in defensive tackle Alan Branch's contract, according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.

With Jean Francois and Branch out of the fold, the Pats' primary defensive tackles are currently Malcom Brown, Lawrence Guy and Vince Valentine.