FOXBOROUGH – Bradyn Swinson wanted a chance to prove the Patriots right.

That’s why he turned down a division rival.The Patriots’ fifth-round pick was a surprise cut at the end of training camp. After signing with the team’s practice squad, Swinson revealed that he had multiple opportunities to leave New England and sign with another team’s 53-man roster.

Instead, he turned down more money and, in the end, it worked out as the edge rusher signed with the Patriots’ active roster this week. On Wednesday, Swinson told MassLive that one of the teams after his services was the Buffalo Bills.

“I’ll just tell you one – Buffalo was one of them,” Swinson told MassLive. “A lot of division rivals were reaching out, trying to get you off your division squad, but you know how that goes. But other than that, everything was pretty good. I’m squared away being a Patriot, and I love being here.”

A standout at LSU, Swinson finished with 8.5 sacks last season. He was projected to be drafted in the top four rounds, but landed with the Patriots at pick 146 in the fifth round.

Despite being on the practice squad, Swinson said he never wanted to leave. That’s why he turned down multiple offers from opposing franchises, who tried to recruit him by offering bigger contracts.

“I’m a big firm believer in finishing what I started,” Swinson said. “And yeah, other teams were reaching out about 53-man (rosters) and just reaching (saying) that’s a pay raise and everything, trying to get a spot, but I actually really wanted to be here. These are guys that took a chance on me in the fifth round, and I feel like I want them to get everything they got out of me. So that just played a major role. Just being here and being with the guys that are in the locker room and just being with his coaching staff. I feel like this is a home for me, and I feel like I can grow here.”

This summer, Swinson competed with a group of edge rushers to backup Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson. Ultimately, he lost out to Keion White, Anfernee Jennings, and undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder.

Swinson said he had a setback this offseason, which resulted in him being a surprise cut after training camp. Mike Vrabel told him he had to become more of a professional to earn an opportunity.

“I feel like when I first came in, I wasn’t on top of just like what I need to be on top of, like business-wise,” Swinson said. “And Vrabes told me that off the jump, like I just wasn’t on top of everything, my weight and everything, and just overall learning how to be a professional. And just with that time period they gave me, I learned a whole bunch and just was able to grow on the overall aspect of how I’m coming along with the process.”

Over the first 11 weeks of the season, Swinson worked hard on the practice squad. That unit’s main role is to prepare the Patriots starters, so each week, the defensive unit emulates the opposing team’s defense.

After showing the coaching staff that he was on the right path, Swinson got his wish this week. After the team placed Milton Williams on the injured reserve, the Patriots signed the rookie to the 53-man roster.

“Honestly, it just feels like all the work that I put in is paying off,” Swinson said. “I had a minor setback at the beginning. Just had to grow up as a player, as a person, and appreciate Vrabes and the whole coaching staff and even (Eliot) Wolf just taking a chance on me and giving me a chance to show that you can turn things around. It just means a lot to me that I got rewarded with this and, you know, it don’t stop here.”