It took until the first day of training camp, but the New England Patriots and second-round draft pick Gabe Jacas finally reached an agreement on his rookie contract. On Sunday, he arrived in Foxborough to put his signature under a four-year, $8.7 million deal.
While since put on the non-football injury list, Jacas signing his pact is a major step toward him becoming the player the Patriots drafted him to be: a core member of their edge rotation and potential cornerstone at the position for years
to come. That, of course, is the best case outcome. However, the team is also protecting itself against an alternative scenario.
With that said, let’s dive into his contract details as provided by Over the Cap.
ED Gabe Jacas: Contract details
Base value: $8,656,970
Maximum value: $8,656,970
Guarantees: $6,591,473
Base salary (2026): $885,000
Base salary (2027): $1,278,499
Base salary (2028): $1,671,998
Signing bonus: $2,755,976
2026 (age 22):
Base salary: $885,000
Signing bonus: $688,994
Salary cap hit: $1,573,994
2027 (age 23):
Base salary: $1,278,499
Signing bonus: $688,994
Salary cap hit: $1,967,493
2028 (age 24):
Base salary: $1,671,998
Signing bonus: $688,994
Salary cap hit: $2,360,992
2029 (age 25):
Base salary: $2,065,497
Signing bonus: $688,994
Salary cap hit: $2,754,491
The protections mentioned above make Jacas’ contract somewhat unusual as far as rookie deals go, particularly those handed out to second-round selections in this year’s NFL Draft. The reason for that is the uncertainty surrounding his left knee.
To recap: Jacas dealt with a hamstring injury that limited him during the pre-draft process, but he also underwent what has been described as a “clean-up” procedure on his knee at one point in the offseason. That surgery and the subsequent status of his knee is why the team inserted an injury waiver into the rookie pact, as first reported by Mike Reiss of ESPN.
The waiver voids after 2028, the third year of Jacas’ rookie pact. That is also when the salary guarantees in his contract end. For comparison, the players selected right before and after Jacas in the second round of this year’s draft — Eagles TE Eli Stowers and Jaguars TE Nate Boerkircher — all have guarantees extending into their fourth seasons; Stowers has a $482,466 guarantee in 2029 (23% of his base salary), Boerkircher a $248,183 guarantee (12.1%)
Even with the rookie wage scale in place, Jacas’ deal looks different from those around him. Most elementary, the 55th pick in the draft has fewer guarantees in his deal than the 56th pick.
The structure of the deal as well as waivers such as the one embedded into Jacas’ contract are not standard practice in the NFL. However, the knee issue apparently prompted the team to take this unusual step — one that could allow the Patriots to alter the deal should medical reasons prevent the young defender from reaching pre-defined parameters.
For example, the contract language and details of the waiver might allow the Patriots to void guarantees should his left knee force him to miss regular season playing time. As far as 2026 is concerned, however, head coach Mike Vrabel sounded confident that that is not expected to happen.
“Nothing is 100%. I don’t anticipate that whatsoever. I don’t,” Vrabel said ahead of Monday’s practice at Gillette Stadium. “I am excited where he is at. I am excited that he wants to be here, he wants to get going, and he does not want to be on the field with the trainer, I will tell you that. He wants to get back out there, play ball and be the player that we drafted and wanted to be here.”
