According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Patriots decision to place LB Brandon Spikes on the injured reserve not only had to do with the knee injury he was dealing with, but also because he was reportedly late to practice last Friday.

Mortensen adds that this appears to have been the straw for HC Bill Belichick .

. However, a source close to Spikes told Ian Rapoport that the report is untrue.

Nonetheless, there appears to be some question as to whether or not Spikes will be back with the Patriots next season.

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, “no matter how you slice it, seems abundantly clear that Spikes has played his final snap as a Patriot.”

Spikes, 26, is in the final year of his contract and although he has been one of their best run defenders in recent years, there is a good chance that New England will allow him to sign elsewhere come March.

Pro Football Focus has Spikes listed as the No. 6 inside linebacker and the top run-stopper by a wide margin. We have Brandon Spikes listed as the No. 24 player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.