Sifting through the list of upcoming Patriot free agents, one name that doesn’t quite jump off the page like some of the others is Ryan Allen. He doesn’t generate the same level of pop as Trey Flowers and Trent Brown.

Punters don’t have the cachet or the earning power of pass rushers or left tackles on the free agent market. They aren’t in the same stratosphere. Not being an every-down type of player, punters fall down the importance meter.

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And yet, Allen’s performance in the Super Bowl was a significant factor in the 13-3 victory.

During the parade Tuesday, one fan held a sign that read: “Ryan Allen, Super Bowl MVP.”

Yes, Allen was that good.

Allen out-punted Johnny Hekker, the man Belichick refers to as “The Weapon.” Hekker was certainly good. Allen was better. Of Hekker’s nine punts, he placed five inside the 20. Allen had five punts. Three of those were inside the 10. Field position is so important, and Allen kept the Rams pinned deep inside their own territory.

Matthew Slater, who downed one of those punts at the two, said it’s not a glamorous play, but Allen “punted his tail off” in the Super Bowl.

Speaking with Allen Thursday, he was just thrilled that he could help be a part of that win.

“It’s always fun to have an important impact on the game. It’s always that way for a kicker, but for a punter, if the offense is efficient, we’re not really needed,” he said. “It’s almost like being a reserve pitcher. But it is fun when you can have a meaningful impact on it, and be a true part of it. That made it special.”

Naturally, he spread around a lot of the credit to his teammates on the unit. They work in tandem, and work every day to make those placement kicks work. While he angled one out of bounds at the six, Slater flew down ahead of everyone to touch another down at the two, while long snapper Joe Cardona had a third at the seven.

“It’s amazing to see the fine details of what we do,” said Allen, “Slater has a lot to do with the end result a lot of times . . . sometimes, yeah, I put it there for him to make a play on it, but really, that was more difficult for him, so he should get more of the credit. But it’s cool. It’s fun to work in a unit where you have to rely on other people. If eleven of us do our job at the same time, our unit usually ends up doing pretty well.

“I’m lucky and grateful to be able to play with the cast of characters that I get to work with,” he went on. “It’s making plays that help our defense. That’s what football is all about. It’s complementary football. If all of us can help with field position, it’s hard to beat a team that works in that forum. So yeah, it was fun, man.”

That unit was lights out in the biggest game of the year. For that matter, Allen has been dynamite throughout the playoffs, as well as the latter part of the season.

Again, he doesn’t have a sexy role, but it’ll be interesting to see how he’s handled by the Patriots in free agency. He’s never gotten to this point. He signed a three-year extension in 2015 worth $6.1 million.

Having been with the team six seasons, he’s now been a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. He was signed as a rookie free agent out of Louisiana Tech. They brought in a punter with a big leg (Corey Bojorquez) to compete for the job during training camp, and Allen blew him away.

“Business is business. There’s a lot of turnover each year. There’s a lot that goes into it,” he said. “I’m just grateful to have been able to play six of my years, especially my younger years, in such a first class organization to learn how to be a mature professional, how to train like one . . . do your job, that goes in all facets of life. I truly believe that.”

He’d love to come back. He said he believes in the way the Patriots go about their business. If he’s not in their plans going forward, he’ll move on.

“I know how this organization prepares, practices, carries itself. I would stay here, but it’s going to come down to what’s right for the team. That’s not my job,” he said. “I know they’ve had to let players go that they like. I’ve seen it . . . they have to do it because that’s the direction they have to go for the team. Me, I just have to worry about kicking the ball.”

Allen will be pinning opponents down by the goal line for some team next year. Super Bowl hero or not, there’s no guarantee it will be with the Patriots.