The New England Patriots will soon make decisions about whether or not they’ll continue working with five restricted free agents: quarterback Tommy DeVito, offensive lineman Yasir Durant, defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy, linebacker Jack Gibbens and cornerback Alex Austin.

It’s safe to say some decisions will be easier than others…

DeVito, Durant, Roy, Gibbens and Austin are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but before they do that, will receive one of various tenders that come with the right of first refusal and/or draft-pick compensation for New England. If you’re unfamiliar with what each tender (first-round tender, second-round tender, original-round tender, right-of-first-refusal tender) means, you can find a full breakdown here.

Let’s take a look at each restricted free agent and predict which tender they will receive from New England:

QB Tommy DeVito

DeVito wasn’t asked to do much of anything (he literally didn’t play one snap) on gamedays, though his work behind the scenes as the scout team/emergency third-string quarterback impressed after he was claimed off waivers from the New York Giants on Aug. 27, 2025.

The Patriots could make some pretty substantial moves at quarterback this offseason. Drake Maye is obviously here to stay, but beyond that there could be some long-term changes to his backup options. Joshua Dobbs could be replaced by one of the many veteran options on the free agent market. DeVito could see his role backfilled by one of the many late-round options in the draft.

It’s ultimately a matter of whether or not the organization feels like it wants to get ahead of those moves, because they will need to be made eventually, but for now it seems as though they’ll put themselves in a position to carry some continuity over from one season to another. 

Prediction: Tommy DeVito receives the right-of-first-refusal tender from the New England Patriots.

OT Yasir Durant

Durant hasn’t had much of a role since originally being re-acquired on June 23, 2025. I can’t imagine they won’t want to use his roster spot on someone who is younger and actually has an opportunity at cracking the active roster.

Prediction: Yasir Durant is non-tendered by the New England Patriots.

DL Jaquelin Roy

Roy is in a similar spot, as he was placed on injured reserve during training camp last season and saw the likes of Cory Durden, Leonard Taylor III, Joshua Farmer and Eric Gregory all take over as reserve options on the interior of the defensive line — so it might be best for him to try and find a role elsewhere.

Prediction: Jaquelin Roy is non-tendered by the New England Patriots.

LB Jack Gibbens

Gibbens will be back, it’s just a matter of how the organization will go about making that happen.

If they place the second-round tender on him, it will all but guarantee that he returns and will bump his salary up to $5.346 million in 2026.

Prediction: Jack Gibbens receives the second-round tender from the New England Patriots.

CB Alex Austin

Austin has flashed when healthy, but has missed double-digit games across the last two seasons with wrist and ankle injuries. It’s clear that he’s good enough to contribute, but he hasn’t shown enough to cause a major investment — which likely means he’ll return on an original-round tender that will give him a slight bump in pay entering next season.

Prediction: Alex Austin receives the original-round tender from the New England Patriots.

More NFL: Patriots Offseason Preview: Everything Team Must Address In 2026