DeAngelo Hall calls himself ‘greedy knucklehead' for not joining Patriots in 2009

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DeAngelo Hall was one of the top cornerbacks of his era and earned a lot of money and individual accolades, including three Pro Bowl selections. One thing missing from Hall's résumé is a Super Bowl ring, and that might not have been the case if he joined the New England Patriots in the middle of his career.

Hall isn't shy about saying one of the biggest regrets of his career was re-signing with the Washington Redskins instead of joining the Patriots in free agency after the 2008 season.

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"When I signed to play half the season with Washington in 2008, there was a line in my contract that said the team could not franchise tag me that next season. I remember negotiations for a new deal with Washington weren't going well, and there were other teams in the picture, including New England," Hall said, per an NFL.com article posted Tuesday. "At that time, players didn't take short-term deals, but Randy Moss had just signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Patriots. I couldn't believe it.

"In my own contract discussions with the Pats, I recall Bill Belichick telling me they couldn't give me the contract Moss signed. Being a young and greedy knucklehead, I chose to stay in Washington on a long-term deal (six years, $54 million), which ultimately had me making the same per-year salary as Moss. Over a few million, I could've changed my legacy by being part of that dynasty. That was on the table for me, and I wish I would've made the decision to take less money and play for Belichick."

Hall played for the Redskins through the end of the 2017 season before retiring. The Redskins made two playoff appearances in that span -- NFC Wild Card Round losses in 2012 and 2015. The Patriots, over that same span, played in four Super Bowls and won two. New England's active playoff appearance streak of 11 seasons began in 2009, and it's the longest such streak in league history.

There's no guarantee Hall would've won a Super Bowl with the Patriots. They didn't win another Lombardi Trophy until Year 5 of Hall's six-year extension with the Redskins. But Hall definitely would've been a nice upgrade for the Patriots defense in the second half of his career.

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