Perry: Patriots keeping Hightower's locker, No. 54 free out of respect originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO -- There's a noticeable absence in the corner of the Patriots locker room that through the years has been home to some of its most important defensive players.
It's not far from the real estate where Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest once resided. Jerod Mayo, now coaching Patriots linebackers, used to be parked in the same spot. It's right by the door. Players coming in late, or leaving early, would have to consider that they'd be passing by someone who matters -- and that they might get an earful.
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More recently, the captain in that corner of the room has been Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower. He's currently enjoying spending time with his family in Tennessee, away from the NFL, but the team still hasn't given his locker away. Nor have they handed out his No. 54.
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Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan currently has the locker next to Hightower's unoccupied stall. He said on Thursday that the Patriots are steering clear of giving it away any time soon, out of respect.
"This wasn't a thing that I decided, but the whole Patriots organization, we're gonna stay away from 54 for a year," McMillan said. "Just out of respect for him, who he was, and what he did as a player for this organization. Everybody's going to stay away from the number. It's a nice number to have, great linebacker number, but we're going to stay away from it."
Hightower was drafted by the Patriots in the first round back in 2012. He was one of the leaders on defenses that won Super Bowls to polish off the 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons, making key contributions in all three. Against the Seahawks, he made a late-game goal-line stuff of Marshawn Lynch that eventually led to Malcolm Butler's game-winning interception. Against the Falcons, his strip sack of Matt Ryan sparked the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Against the Rams, Hightower was a wrecking ball that helped hold Sean McVay's potent offensive attack to just three points.
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During the team's championship ring ceremony in 2019, Bill Belichick paid Hightower the ultimate compliment when he dubbed him "Mr. February" for his knack for making plays in the biggest games.
When Belichick was asked back in May if third-year linebacker Josh Uche had the kind of versatility Hightower showed as someone who could change a game as an inside or outside linebacker, the Patriots head coach answered definitively.
"It's a stretch to compare almost anybody to Hightower," he said. "You're talking about one of the best linebackers that's ever played here."
Hightower turned 32 in March. His contract with the Patriots ran out after last season, but he hasn't yet formally announced any plans to retire. He's a shoo-in for the team's Hall of Fame once he's eligible, and he was named to New England's All-Dynasty Team, which the Patriots Hall of Fame selection committee assembled in 2020.
Without Hightower to lead the group, Ja'Whaun Bentley is the most experienced player at that position in the Patriots defense. McMillan, Mack Wilson and Jahlani Tavai make up the rest of the inside linebacker group, while Uche, Anfernee Jennings and Matt Judon appear set to handle the outside linebacker role.
"[Hightower] was kind of a mentor for me when I first got here," said McMillan, who had a promising first offseason in Foxboro in 2021 before tearing his ACL in training camp.
"He taught me the ways of the defense. He played in the defense for 10 years, so he knows the ins and outs of it, where I saw myself fitting in, how he saw me fitting in. He helped me a lot. Even after I got my injury, we'd text back and forth, he'd check on me, see how I'm doing. When I finally came back, he was one of the guys that was still in my corner rooting for me."
Asked if he thought Hightower might entertain a return, McMillan smiled.
"I don't know," he said. "Every time I talk to him he seems like he's having a good time with his family. We'll see what happens."
