For Heath Evans, the choice is simple: The former Patriots fullback — who played in New England from 2005 until 2008 and spent the last two seasons with New Orleans — is a free agent, but is unapologetic when it comes to where he’d like to end up.

“There are two places I want to play,” Evans said. “Of course, money always plays a part in it, but New Orleans is likely the place where I’d like to go back to, with New England second, after that.

“New Orleans would still be my first pick, because how I get used — I get my hands on the ball and get on the field more,” he added. “But what I learned in New England is irreplaceable. It’s all about humble leadership. They do things the right way, which is very attractive to a player.”

After spending four seasons with Seattle and part of one year with Miami, the Auburn product spent three-plus seasons with the Patriots. The 32-year-old fullback never produced staggering offensive numbers — his best statistical game with New England was the first of his career when he ran for 84 yards in a surprising win over his old team, the Dolphins — but was always a dependable presence in the backfield and a quality individual in the locker room.

“In my four years there, I learned so much football,” Evans said. “I am forever indebted to Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli and Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison and guys like that — they taught me how to become a true professional. I loved my time in New England and it made me the player that I am today.”

Upon reaching free agency, he signed with the Saints, where he helped New Orleans win a title, despite a knee injury that sidelined him for much of the 2009 season and left him to work as a blogger during Super Bowl week. He followed that up by starting six of the 16 games he played in this past season for the Saints, prompting New Orleans coach Sean Payton to say of Evans, “he does all the little things right” and Saints quarterback Drew Brees to call Evans “an awesome guy.”

During the lockout this offseason Evans has been an outspoken advocate on behalf of his fellow players, spending time on ESPN as well as WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan” talking about the labor troubles.  (“The easiest way to break this down? We had a contract, the owners broke it,” Evans said when asked about the lockout.) He’s also spent plenty of time working out back home with some of the other Saints players, as well as Auburn, waiting for a resolution to the labor woes.

When things are finally settled, he’s hoping for a call from either Payton or Bill Belichick for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the two coaches seem to share a commonality when it comes to how they run their teams.

“So much of what we did in New Orleans is a lot like New England. I love Sean Payton because he said, ‘Hell yeah, I want to form my organization after New England.’ That’s probably the biggest thing that attracted me to the Saints in the first place,” he said.

While Evans remains an active member of the Louisiana community — his annual “Softball Showdown” is one of the biggest offseason charity events in the league, and has included former teammates Randy Moss and Rodney Harrison in recent years — he still speaks frequently with many his former New England teammates, including fellow running backs Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris. In addition, he still exchanges the occasional text with Tom Brady, while Vince Wilfork and his wife Bianca are scheduled to appear at the sixth annual Heath Evans Foundation 7-on-7 Championships, scheduled for June 18 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

He understands that things have changed since he left the Patriots — including the fact that they have become a team that’s mostly dependent on tight ends instead of fullbacks — but would welcome a return to New England if everything worked out.

“There’s been a bit of a younger movement there the last couple of years, but I know how Bill runs a team, and that would always be a safe place for me to come back to,” Evans said. “As a player, you always now what’s expected out of you, and that’s great.”