Free-agent receiver Brandon Lloyd came across well during his interview with Mike Florio on PFT Live on Monday.

Lloyd spoke about the relationships he built with players on the Rams and how he'd be open to returning to the team in 2012, even if it was on the franchise tag ("a pay raise is always welcomed"). He said talks with the Rams are expected to begin this week.

Lloyd also was asked about the possibility of joining the Patriots, where he would reunite with Josh McDaniels, the coach with whom he's had his greatest success.

"Yes, I find that very interesting," Lloyd said. "I would like to entertain that and see where that goes. There is no bones about that. I've been very successful in Josh McDaniels' offense. I really admire Tom Brady. I admire that organization and how they run things over there. I'd definitely be interested in hearing how I could possibly fit into that equation."

Earlier in the interview, Lloyd explained why McDaniels' offense was such a good fit for him.

"He gave me a really large route tree and just the way the plays were designed, I was put in positions where I could just make catches. I wasn't expected to do anything that I wasn't good at and I think that's what he did for all the receivers," Lloyd explained, calling the scheme creative. "He really puts guys in situations to where we're confident and we can perform at maximum levels."

OPINION: The smartest thing for Lloyd to do at this time is keep all options open, and his interview on PFT Live reflected that he's adopting that approach. Any chatter of him being linked to the Patriots only helps him on the open market because New England's personnel acumen is respected in some NFL circles to the point that, "If Belichick is interested, maybe we should take a closer look." After listening to the interview, my feeling is that the Patriots could be in good position to win a tie-breaker if the money was equal to other teams, but as expected, finances will be a significant part of Lloyd's decision-making process.