McCourty Twins Search for Their Perfect Ending

ATLANTA (973espn.com) - New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty has done it all in the NFL, Pro Bowls, All-Pro nods and two Super Bowl rings.

If the latter becomes three against the Los Angeles Rams after Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, the Montvale, N.J. might even call it a career because winning another Lombardi Trophy will come with a little sweetener, a championship earned with his twin brother Jason, who was brought to New England in the offseason.

"I don't know for sure," Devin said when the "R" word was brought up earlier this week. "But I do look at it -- if we can win this game, winning with my brother [Jason], I don't know what else I could do that could top that."

At 31 McCourtey has been a constant on Bill Belichick's back end for nine seasons, starting all 139 career regular-season games as well as the 21 postseason games New England has played in over that time, the equivalent of another season-plus so the mileage is starting to add up for the well-respected veteran, who was a voted a team captain by his second season, an honor repeated every year since.

"You see a man who’s so consistent in his character and how he goes about his business," fellow captain Matthew Slater said. "How he’s always putting the team first, how he’s always serving people, you can’t help but want to follow a guy like that. Obviously, his play on the field has been elite for a number of years. But I think his leadership in the locker room, his wisdom, emotionally the way he leads us, the way he’s willing to stand up in the face of adversity, this team’s not here without Devin McCourty.”

Jason spent the majority of his career with the Tennessee Titans (2009 to 2016) before moving to Cleveland in 2017 and a March 2018 trade finally reunited the brothers for the first time since they played together at Rutgers.

“Actually seeing it up close and seeing how guys look to him or call him ‘My captain’ or whatever it is, it’s been very humbling to watch,” Jason said. “To look at him, a young kid growing up who was always tugging on my shorts learning from me and now to see him as a captain and a guy who has done so much for this organization as a leader, it’s been fun for me to step in line and follow his lead.”

Fun enough to follow Devin into retirement if another trophy is earmarked for Foxborough?

Jason McCourty is set to be a free agent after the season while Devin has a year left on his deal with the Patriots.

For now, there is no plan on walking off into the sunset together, at least not yet, according to Jason.

“I texted my wife, ‘Look at this, Dev is so dramatic,’ ... He's a drama guy. I’m not talking retirement and all that. You guys have to find Dev around the hotel and ask him to further go on about his comments.”

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen