FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The last time New England Patriots fans saw wide receiver Brandon LaFell suit up for their team, they hardly saw him.
LaFell was demoted to the No. 4 spot on the depth chart for the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos following the 2015 regular season. He played 33 snaps in the game, wasn’t targeted by quarterback Tom Brady, and as he walked out of the stadium that day he had a feeling that his time with the club might be coming to an end despite having one year left on his contract.