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The Patriots have officially signed Gabe Jacas to his rookie contract<\/p>\n
The New England Patriots<\/a>\u2018 offseason hasn\u2019t exactly been drama-free, but this team is entering the new campaign with high hopes, and it\u2019s not too hard to see why. After making a surprise run to the Super Bowl last year, the Pats\u2019 front office made an effort to address several of its top weak spots, with the hope being the team can prove last year\u2019s run wasn\u2019t a fluke.<\/p>\n Entering training camp, New England had accomplished several of its offseason goals, but it still had some business to take care of. One item on the to-do list involved figuring out what was going on with rookie linebacker Gabe Jacas<\/a>, who still had yet to sign his contract with the team. After weeks of speculation<\/a>, the Patriots made an announcement regarding Jacas\u2019 status on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n Gabe Jacas Officially Signs Rookie Contract with Patriots<\/p>\n New England traded up in the second round of the 2026 NFL<\/a> Draft to select Jacas with the No. 55 overall pick. After spending four years with the Illinois Fighting Illini, Jacas had turned himself into one of the most disruptive defenders in the nation, racking up 43 tackles and 11 sacks in the 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n Throughout the offseason, though, Jacas\u2019 status was shrouded in mystery. He barely participated in the team\u2019s offseason program and reportedly underwent a procedure to clean up a knee injury. Beyond that, he still hadn\u2019t put pen to paper on his rookie contract, which only added to the concern that some issues were popping up behind the scenes.<\/p>\n With Jacas not present for the team\u2019s first day of practice at training camp, the alarm bells quickly started ringing, but reports indicated that he was planning on finally signing his first pro contract in the near future. Sure enough, that\u2019s exactly what happened, as the team shared a photo of Jacas signing his deal<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cPatriots sign second-round pick Gabe Jacas,\u201d the team announced in a post on X.<\/p>\n Patriots Can Finally Put the Gabe Jacas Saga Behind Them GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON \u2013 OCTOBER 25: Gabe Jacas #17 of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on before the game against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n For the most part, rookie contracts are pretty straightforward in the NFL, so anytime there\u2019s a delay, there\u2019s going to be cause for concern. Whether Jacas was unhappy with some sort of financial language in his deal or he was simply recovering from his offseason surgery is unknown, but all that matters now is that he is in town and will seemingly be taking the field alongside his new teammates in the future.<\/p>\n While this is a key piece of business that can be put in the rearview mirror now, the Pats aren\u2019t done just yet. They still need to take care of star cornerback Christian Gonzalez\u2019s contract situation, with team owner Robert Kraft coming out and saying the two sides are working through a new deal. Ideally, that deal would get done sooner rather than later, but for now, New England will relish the fact that it has managed to officially get Jacas\u2019 contract taken care of.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tOwen Crisafulli<\/a> Owen Crisafulli is an Email Newsletter Editor & Breaking News Writer at Heavy Sports. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, NESN Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \t![\"Gabe](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2243841293-e1778353863673.jpg\")
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