Although the Patriots coach would not go into detail, Bill Belichick confirmed reports that the team had brought veteran safety John Lynch in for a visit this week.

"I can tell you that I met with John yesterday. He came in. We talked. He took a physical. But right now he's not under contract with the Patriots, so until he is, I won't have any further comment on that other than to say what I just said, which is he was here."

A nine-time Pro-Bowler, Lynch has played 15 NFL seasons - the first 11 with Tampa Bay, where he was a member of the Buccaneers' 2002 Super Bowl champion team, and the last 4 with Denver.

The 36-year-old, who had 59 tackles (46 solo) last season, was reportedly unhappy with how his role had evolved with the Broncos in that he had come to be used primarily on first downs, but came off the field on second- and third-down situations.

When he saw that he was being used on a limited basis in the Broncos training camp this summer and that 30-year-old Marlon McCree was seeing more time at safety, Lynch requested his release, which Denver granted on Aug. 1.

This isn't the first time the Patriots have brought Lynch in for a visit. New England was among a number of teams that he visited after Tampa Bay released him in the spring of 2004. At the time, the Bucs said they weren't interested in keeping Lynch, who had undergone shoulder surgery earlier that year, even if he negotiated down his $4.1-million salary for the following season.