Following a contentious season between New England Patriots LB Adalius Thomas and coach Bill Belichick, a divorce between the team and the 10-year veteran seemed inevitable.

But despite the obvious discord, Thomas is still a member of the Patriots, a situation the Boston Globe‘s Albert Breer attributes to a front-loaded contract that behooves the Patriots to keep Thomas on the roster at least until the new league year begins on March 5:

Thomas’ deal doesn’t include the kind of roster bonus in 2010 that often force these kinds of divorces. In fact, the structure of that contract has actually kept the two sides together. For now.

Other interesting notes from around the web on a Friday:

• The agent for kicker Jeff Reed said he is talking with the Steelers in an attempt to avoid letting Reed hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent next month.

• Falcons DT Peria Jerry, who underwent surgery following an injury in Week 2, said he is on schedule to participate in offseason workouts.

• Lions RB Kevin Smith is being cautious in his rehab from multiple ailments, including an injury to his knee that required surgery, and said the process is going well.

• The retirement of Titans punter Craig Hentrich, makes Brett Kern — who punted in 10 games last season after Hentrich went on IR — the front-runner for the job.

• A broken foot in training camp limited Bengals rookie OT Andre Smith to seven games last season, but the Bengals’ top pick in 2009 says he intends to play every snap next season.

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