MINNEAPOLIS — For Kenny Britt, playing in Cleveland for less than a season was a personal pit of misery.
As the wide receiver prepares to play for New England in Super Bowl 52, he has done his best to bury the time he spent with the NFL's worst team in 2017.
"When I left there, I left everything there to tell you the truth," Britt said. "I didn't care what happened in that organization anymore and focused on me. Dilly dilly is all I have to say about that."
Last March, Britt signed a four-year, $32.5 million contract to play for the Browns, coming over for the Rams. Cleveland decided to release him in December because of a disappointing mutual relationship and horrendous stats (18 catches for 233 yards in nine games). He was arguably the biggest free-agent bust of the season.
This February, there's no more Britt of misery. He's the latest castoff with a long history of off-field trouble — see former Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd in Super Bowl 51 — who is on the verge of winning his first ring as a small part of the Patriots' dynasty.
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Britt can't think of anyone having a stranger path to this point. Through his promise and then fall with the Titans, a high degree of success with the Rams and a total flameout with the Browns, he always tried to look forward. But the call to play for the Patriots is something he had to take time to cherish.
"My career has been on the up and down," Britt said. "That’s one thing about this game, each play, each day, each week, each season, it has to be put behind you, or you’ll never be able to move on. At those times, who knows where my mind was and where I thought I would be. Right now, I’m just staying in the present.
"There was overwhelming excitement when I got the opportunity to come to an organization like this."
Britt admits he's fortunate for how things worked out. It has to be frustrating for other great players who have been steadfast and have played consistently well for one organization and haven't had the same reward.
It makes the notion of being defined by a Super Bowl ring silly, but it won't stop Britt from wearing his potential new ring proudly with the rest of his bling.
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"There are a lot of guys who put a lot of time and effort into their careers and never make it to the playoffs," he said. "I haven’t been to the playoffs in nine years. I’m just trying to take it all in. Who would have thought after a crazy career, I would be here at the Super Bowl?"
Britt going from undeserving loser to all-out champion isn't unfair. It's just another Patriot Way.
