The New England Patriots continue expressing interest in one particular free agent.
Luke Masterson, who already was in town for a visit on Sunday, returned to Gillette Stadium on Thursday for another meeting with the team. This time, he went through a tryout. In both instances, no contract was initially signed.
Masterson, 27, arrived in the NFL as an undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest in 2022. The Raiders, then led by head coach Josh McDaniels, brought him aboard as a free agent and promptly kept
him on their 53-man roster for the season.
From there, the 6-foot-1, 2200-pound linebacker ended up appearing in 37 games with 10 starts for the organization. Playing 627 snaps on defense and an additional 727 on special teams, Masterson registered a combined 103 tackles as well as a pair of forced fumbles.
Masterson, whose 2024 season came to an abrupt end last October due to a knee injury, has remained unsigned since his Raiders contract expired in March. He has not been linked to any team before his first visit with the Patriots on Aug. 24.
The Patriots cut their roster to 53 players two days after that first meeting, keeping four off-ball linebacker on their active team. Led by another former Raider, Robert Spillane, the group also features Christian Elliss, Marte Mapu and Jack Gibbens. Further depth is provided by practice squad member Mark Robinson as well as Jahlani Tavai, who will miss at least the first four weeks of the season on injured reserve.
New England is set to host the Raiders for their regular season opener on Sept. 7. Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.
