Despite being in the deepest parts of the offseason, the New England Patriots are staying busy. On Tuesday, the team of head coach Jerod Mayo and head executive Eliot Wolf reached a contract extension with a defensive starter: linebacker Jahlani Tavai has signed a three-year deal at a base value of $15 million.
What does the move mean for the Patriots, though? Let’s assess it from a big-picture perspective.
The linebacker core stays intact beyond 2024
Playing 838 defensive snaps during the 2023 season — a playing time share of 73.6 percent — Tavai formed a potent off-the-ball linebacker duo together with teammate Ja’Whaun Bentley. While neither is falling into the “household name” category, both had an active hand in the Patriots defense being among the better in football despite suffering some serious injuries.
Bentley was already under contract for the next two seasons, with the 27-year-old Tavai now locked up through 2027. In addition, projected No. 3 linebacker Sione Takitaki is also signed for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
From a contractual perspective, New England doesn’t have to worry about its linebacker group for some time now.
Investing in Tavai means investing in special teams
While Tavai’s defensive contributions are a big part of his value to the Patriots, his kicking game role cannot go unmentioned either. Last year, he was on the field for 358 snaps (78.2%) in the game’s third phase and a member of five special teams units.
How New England will use him under new coordinator Jeremy Springer remains to be seen, but his experience and versatility — both on defense and special teams — are an asset.
Another in-house talent is taken care of
The Patriots’ offseason theme continues. Beyond spending vast amounts of money on re-signing a significant portion of their own free agency class, they also reached extensions with several core members of their team now.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore, center David Andrews, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson all previously put their signatures under new deals. Like Tavai and those free agents mentioned above, they have been identified by Mayo, Wolf and company as foundational players worth building around long-term.
The Patriots roster has its shortcomings, but there is no denying that some promising pieces are in place nonetheless.
The cap will not be impacted too much
The Patriots entered the month of July with a league-leading $43.6 million in salary cap space, meaning that they can afford to make investments. That said, Tavai’s new deal will likely not eat into that number all too much.
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