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Troy Brown has had an improbable 15-year career with the Patriots. Not much was expected of the former eighth-round pick out of Marshall, but he's been arguably one of the franchise's most consistent players.

According to the Boston Herald, New England has informed Brown that he's not in the team's plans for 2008. Given how infrequently he was used last season, coupled with the surplus of wide receivers on the roster, this isn't totally surprising.

But event though Brown will be 37 when the '08 season opens, he's still drawing interest from around the league. Presumably because he can still play, but also -- and this sounds like a cliche but I really believe it to be true in Brown's case -- because he'd be a good locker room presence.

The Browns and Lions already have called. One of Brown's stipulations is that he join a team not scheduled to play the Patriots, ruling out the Jets and Dolphins, who are also believed to have expressed interest.

If Brown remains unsigned in a month or two, the Patriots could revisit signing him. But as things stand now, his days in New England are over.

Cleveland makes sense with former Patriots defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel, now the Browns head coach. Plus, it's an extremely young team, one that could benefit from Brown on the roster. Whatever happens -- and whatever you think of the Pats -- there's no disputing that Brown is one of the classiest guys in the league. And his career has surpassed just about everybody's expectations.