FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots signed veteran defensive tackle Terrance Knighton to a one-year contract and credit longtime franchise stalwart Vince Wilfork for an assist in the process.

"I had a long talk with Vince Wilfork obviously before signing, and he was telling me that it’s a grind but at the end of the day it’s football. It’s a good environment to be around, it’s a good building to be in, and he had nothing but good things to say about the organization," Knighton relayed in his introductory conference call.

Knighton, who attended Aqib Talib's wedding last month (as did Wilfork), has been a longtime fan of Wilfork.

Wilfork, of course, played for the Patriots from 2004-2014 and enters his second season with the Houston Texans.