BREAKING: Former New England Patriots 2nd round pick joins Detroit Lions following in Patriots legend’s footsteps, signs 3-year extension

Beyond the smaller matter of finding a new franchise quarterback and replacing the greatest football coach ever, the new de facto General Manager Eliot Wolf has approached his task of rebuilding the once-great Patriots team in an unexpected way.

Owner Robert Kraft immediately decided to hire a new head coach, contract successor Jared Mayo, before New England targeted former UNC quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

New England Patriots Head in Unexpected Direction

Many believed that after a dismal 4-13 season that effectively ended Bill Belichick’s tenure, the Patriots front office would spend aggressively in free agency, both to mark the beginning of a new era in the Northeast and to bring in some real talent to replace a lackluster roster, particularly on offense. A roster that has been and continues to be devoid of bona fide blue chip talent on both sides of the ball since the departures of Stephon Gilmore, Joe Thuney, Julian Edelman and of course, GOAT, Tom Brady.

But surprisingly, Wolf and company aren’t concerned with shrinking the roster to get rid of redundant starters, or waiting for contracts to expire and cashing in compensatory picks to rebuild through the draft. In fact, they’re remarkably bullish on many aspects of New England’s current generation of talent.

They have re-signed or extended six players since the start of the midseason in mid-March, from cornerstone right tackle Mike Onwenu to defensive end Anfernee Jennings, who has just 1.5 sacks in 2023 despite playing more snaps than any other defensive end in New England.

After recently extending impressive but not elite running back Rhamondre Stevenson, the New England Patriots are done with their summer in-house signings. There is at least one more that has been finalized, former Detroit Lions 2nd round pick Jahlani Tavai.

News item (with @AdamSchefter): Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai signs three-year contract extension with a base value of $15 million that could rise to $21 million.

Tavai entered the final year of his contract. Extension continues a Patriots trend this offseason. https://t.co/nWMOkgftTd

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 2, 2024

Jahlani Tavai is staying in New England, which bears an odd resemblance to the career of a former legendary linebacker

Jahlani Tavai became the seventh player extended by GM Wolf, a move that is intriguing but not necessarily surprising.

After being cut by the Detroit Lions in 2021 as part of final roster cuts, Tahlai — who was rumored to have been highly favored by New England after coming out of college in the 2019 NFL Draft — went on to train with the Patriots in September before eventually making the first-team roster early the following season in 2022.

Though Tavai recently signed a contract extension through the end of the 2024 season in 2022, New England was clearly impressed with what he had to offer and ironically rewarded him with a three-year, $15 million contract similar to Belichick’s, with a variety of bonuses.

The strangest part of Tavai’s journey, though, is his odd parallel to the old Foxborough great, the still-playing, two-time Super Bowl champion and New England Patriots team of 2010s star Kyle Van Noy.

Noy was also drafted in the 2nd round as a linebacker by the until recently failing Detroit Lions, in 2014. And like Tavai, Noy only lasted 2 full seasons in Motown before heading to New England; although in his case he was traded instead of released; where he broke into the first team in his second season with the team.

So far, Tavai has been a solid starter and has established himself as the main man in the Pats’ linebacking corps, behind veteran and team captain Ja’Whaun Bentley. However, Noy already had two Super Bowl rings to his name three years into his career, something Tavai may have to wait a little longer for.

Tavai’s extension could indicate that he hasn’t necessarily set the world on fire with his play, but he has been a consistent playmaker over the past two seasons, recording 110 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and a sack in 2023.

In fact, the former University of Hawaii player was rated one of the top 10 off-the-ball LBs last season with an outstanding 86.6 grade. Typically, though, these types of systems are better indicators of overall play quality than ultra-precise scales.

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