The New England Patriots have agreed to a deal with rookie edge rusher Gabe Jacas. It is a four-year $8.6 million contract. Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported this on Saturday afternoon.
Jacas was the last remaining rookie unsigned by the Patriots organization. He comes to the Patriots by way of Illinois, where he was a key defender and impact player for the program last season. Now, he will look to bolster the Patriots’ edge rushing abilities, as they need help in that area.
For now, he was able to put pen to paper after a tumultuous offseason.
Tumultous Timeline For Patriots
Jacas was drafted by the Patriots with the 55th overall pick in the second round. The Patriots paid a bit of a price to get the edge rusher. They moved up three draft selections with the Los Angeles Chargers to take him 55th overall.
Rookie minicamp came next, and he did not participate. He watched from the sidelines, but was not medically cleared to practice. It was around this time that the Patriots refused to issue a standard participation agreement, and the agreement itself protects rookies financially if they get injured during the workouts. The Patriots did not issue the agreement because the adventure did not tell them about a procedure done on his left knee before the draft.
June rolled around, and the two sides were still in talks. Jacas left the team and missed the mandatory minicamp as a result. This only further added to the anticipation and confusion in regards to the rookie status. Friday was more of the same, as coach Mike Vrabel told the media he was optimistic that the rookie would report to camp. He did not give a timeframe.
What Can He Bring To The Patriots?
The Patriots are getting a bona fide pass-rusher for the organization. He reported 183 total tackles, to go along with 27 sacks and seven forced fumbles across 50 games.
His senior season was especially productive. He recorded 43 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. This was also similar to his junior season when he led the team in both sacks and tackles for loss. The consistency across his collegiate career was impressive. He made an immediate impact in his freshman season of 2022, as he recorded 35 tackles and four sacks. He was named a freshman All-American as a result of his play.
Now, he will look to translate all his talents to the NFL. He should be able to provide a boost to the Patriots’ edge rushing unit. It’s something that they have desperately needed for quite some time now, and the rookie should be able to help break the stagnant edge rushing production. It will certainly be interesting to see what type of role he can take in his first season with the organization, and how much he will play. He is a dynamic defender, something that the Patriots have been missing at the position for quite some time.
Perhaps more importantly than what he can produce, the holdout is over. Now, all sides can focus on playing football.
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