The New England Patriots declined to tender a number of players under team control, making them unrestricted free agents. But one of them was a little more surprising than the others.
Linebacker Jack Gibbens is now on the open market after the Patriots decided not to tender him as a restricted free agent, as first reported Wednesday by Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. Gibbens was a possibility to be tendered at the right of first refusal level, which would’ve been for one year and $3.52 million (via Over The Cap). Now, he’s free to sign with any team.
Gibbens played all 21 games for the Patriots between the regular season and playoffs in 2025, logging 100 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one forced fumble, one sack, and eight QB hits in that span. Primarily a box linebacker, Gibbens played 554 of his 604 total defensive snaps in that area (via Pro Football Focus). He finished with an overall grade of 63.0 from PFF, ranking him 31st out of 60 qualifying linebackers (minimum 600 snaps). He filled in admirably for lead ILB Robert Spillane when he missed time due to injury, leaving the Patriots with plenty of meaningful snaps to replace in 2026 and beyond.
The move doesn’t necessarily mean that the Patriots wouldn’t bring Gibbens back on a new deal. Gibbens now has the chance to see what’s out there, and possibly give the Pats the opportunity to match. If New England still wants to re-sign Gibbens, this is a gamble that he won’t get a deal worth more than the $3.52 million he would’ve made under the RFA tender, which itself would’ve been a significant raise from his 2025 cash earnings of $1.6M.
It’s also possible the Patriots could address inside linebacker in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it could behoove them to do so, even with Gibbens back in the fold. Based on the estimated rookie pay scales at Over The Cap, the Pats could save money with a draft pick in rounds 2-3, but would end up spending a little more with their first-rounder.
The Patriots still have Spillane, Christian Elliss, Marte Mapu, Chad Muma, and Otis Reese under contract at linebacker, but Spillane is the only one signed beyond the 2026 season. So, Gibbens could provide value on a long-term deal. But whether it’s him or a draft pick or a combination, the Patriots are in a spot that they need to shore up this position group for the long-term.
New England also declined to tender the following players, per the NFL transaction wire: OT Yasir Durant, DT Isaiah Iton, RB Deneric Prince, and DT Jaquelin Roy.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.