Pass rusher Trey Flowers, who left the Patriots as a free agent four years ago, signed again with the team on Tuesday. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

They always seem to come back, don’t they?

Yes, players who have succeeded as New England Patriots then depart to seek higher salaries elsewhere as free agents always seem to end up back in Foxborough, and on Tuesday that was the case with pass rushing specialist Trey Flowers.

Flowers, who played four seasons with the team from 2015-18 and was part of Super Bowl victories in 2016 and 2019 signed back with the Patriots.

Flowers, originally a fourth round pick by the Patriots out of Arkansas, signed with the Detroit Lions in March of 2019. He lasted with Detroit until the end of the 2021 season and signed with Miami last summer but was injured and had just four tackles in the first four games before then being put on injured reserve.

He won’t see time right away, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.

“You know, we’ll see how that goes,” Belichick said yesterday. “He won’t be practicing right away.

“He hasn’t played in a while, got injured in September of last year, so yeah, we’ll see.”

Belichick, when pressed ore on what Flowers could do, said he hasn’t really followed Flowers since he left.

“Look, I haven’t seen Trey in a few years,” he said, “but he’s been a hardworking guy, loves football, competes well, smart player.”

Flowers has 64 starts in 79 regular season games with 265 total career tackles, 31.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. In his nine postseaon games with the Patriots, he had 39 tackles and 5.5 sacks.