A familiar face from the New England Patriots’ final championship years has found his next NFL home.
Former Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts agreed to a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 12, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move sends Roberts back to Pittsburgh after he spent the 2025 season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Roberts, 32, has carved out a 10-year NFL career after New England selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons with the Patriots, winning two Super Bowls and eventually becoming a team captain before leaving in free agency following the 2019 season.
His return to Pittsburgh keeps one of the more distinctive players from the latter portion of the Patriots’ dynasty in the league for another season.
Roberts Built His NFL Career in New England
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 15: Elandon Roberts #52 of the New England Patriots tackles Nick O’Leary #83 of the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Roberts arrived in Foxborough as the No. 214 overall pick out of Houston in 2016. The Patriots viewed him as an undersized but physical linebacker, and that style worked quickly enough for him to appear in 13 games with five starts as a rookie. Patriots.com detailed his physical approach shortly after he was drafted.
He became a larger part of the defense in 2017, starting 14 games and recording 67 tackles and two sacks. Roberts appeared in 60 regular-season games over his four years in New England, starting 33 and totaling 206 tackles and four sacks.
The run also coincided with one of the most successful stretches in franchise history.
Roberts was a rookie when New England erased a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI in overtime. He remained with the Patriots when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII two years later.
By his final season with the Patriots, Roberts’ value stretched past just being an inside linebacker.
With injuries creating a need at fullback in 2019, Bill Belichick and the coaching staff turned to Roberts. He played snaps on offense, defense and special teams, while his teammates elected him a captain. Belichick praised Roberts’ “versatility, his toughness, his work ethic and his desire to contribute.”
Roberts even caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the 2019 regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins, providing one of the more memorable moments of his final year in New England.
Former Patriots Captain Heads Back to Pittsburgh
Roberts left New England for Miami in 2020 and spent three seasons there before signing with Pittsburgh in 2023.
His first Steelers season was one of his most productive. Roberts started 15 games and finished with 101 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two passes defensed. He returned for another season in 2024 before joining Las Vegas in free agency.
Roberts was productive with the Raiders. He started 16 of 17 games in 2025 and recorded 90 tackles, six tackles for loss, one pass defensed and a fumble recovery. His season even began back at Gillette Stadium, where Las Vegas defeated New England 20-13 in Week 1.
Now, Roberts is headed back to the Steelers. Schefter reported that the veteran reached an agreement on a one-year deal, although financial terms were not immediately disclosed.
Roberts played under Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in Las Vegas last season, giving him familiarity with the system before returning to a Steelers organization where he already started 29 games from 2023-24.
The former sixth-round pick will get at least one more season, returning to a city where he already established himself as a dependable veteran in the middle of the defense.
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