AP

Shortly before Jimmy Graham, Haloti Ngata, Sam Bradford and Nick Foles got traded and free agency officially opened, we shared a note about cornerback Brandon Browner deciding against reworking his contract with the Patriots for the 2015 season.

That left the Patriots with a choice about picking up Browner’s option, which carried a cap hit of $4.8 million, or declining it and letting Browner hit the open market. The Patriots chose door No. 2, which means Browner is now free to sign with any team in the league.

Browner spent one year in New England, starting nine regular season games and all three playoff contests. He missed the early part of the season while serving a suspension, which was the same reason he missed the playoffs and Super Bowl for the Seahawks in the previous season.

Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports that the Saints are interested in having Browner join their secondary, something that would be a step in the right direction for New Orleans’s defense whether or not Keenan Lewis remains a member of the team following Tuesday’s request to be let go if the remainder of his contract isn’t guaranteed.