The New England Patriots overhauled their defensive operation under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel in 2025, and that process included making some major offseason investments. One of those was signing veteran linebacker Robert Spillane to a three-year deal to become a foundational player on that side of the ball.
And while it wasn’t perfect, Spillane very much proved himself as such in his first year in Foxborough. So, what to expect heading into his second season? Let’s find out.
Hard facts
Name: Robert Spillane
Position: Off-ball linebacker
Jersey number: 14
Opening day age: 30 (12/14/1995)
Measurements: 6’1 1/4”, 234 lbs, 32 1/2” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.77s 40-yard dash, 32 1/2” vertical jump, 9’2” broad jump, 7.13s 3-cone drill, 4.40s short shuttle, 10 bench press reps, 1.96 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tennessee Titans (2018), Pittsburgh Steelers (2019-22), Las Vegas Raiders (2023-24), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Western Michigan (2014-17)
A grandson of 1953 Heisman Trophy winner John Lattner, Spillane was a two-way player at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL. Even though he was initially recruited as a running back rather than a linebacker, he committed to defense full time quickly after arriving at Western Michigan. He never looked back and became a highly productive player in his four years with the Broncos.
Nonetheless, the two-time All-MAC selection did not hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft. Spillane instead entered the league as a free agent with Mike Vrabel’s Titans, for whom he appeared in just two games before getting cut in October of his rookie campaign. It took him until the following February to find a new club, but once he did his career began trending in a positive direction.
Initially a core special teamer after joining the Steelers, he also steadily increased his defensive role over his four seasons in Pittsburgh. During that time, he registered a combined 191 tackles as well as a trio of sacks and one interception returned for a touchdown. Even though he was still primarily a role player, Spillane managed to become a valuable part of the operation and eventually secured a two-year, $7 million free agency contract with the Raiders.
That deal turned out to be a steal for the Raiders. Spillane started all 34 games over his two seasons in Las Vegas and rarely left the field; he finished his Raiders tenure with a defensive playing time share of 97.7% (2,196 of 2,248) and led the club in tackles both seasons, totaling 306 of them. He picked up right where he left off after joining the Patriots in March 2025: the 30-year-old was a core member of a rebuilt New England defense that reached its first Super Bowl in seven years.
In total, Spillane has appeared in 105 combined regular season and playoff games.
Scouting report
Strengths: Spillane is a dependable second-level player who combines a quick processor and high football IQ with disciplined eyes and the ability as well as the experience to serve as a leading communicator. In general, he is the tone-setter at the heart of the Patriots’ defense not just due to his high motor and natural leadership skills, but also because he is playing a physical brand of football and is not afraid to take on blockers or initiate contact.
As a run defender, Spillane is not easily fooled by misdirection and has an advanced understanding of blocking schemes and how to position himself relative to what the offense wants to do. This allows him to shoot downhill quickly and fill gaps with a purpose, while also preventing him from getting lost in traffic. His high tackle numbers in both Las Vegas and New England are not a coincidence: he usually finds the ball carrier without much effort, and can be trusted to finish his tackles with proper wrap-up technique.
Spillane is an instinctual blitzer who times his get-off well and does a good job challenging running backs’ balance. Using his smaller stature (at least relative to traditional LB types) to his advantage, he plays the leverage game well when charging downfield. He also has shown an ability to attack the pocket both from deep, as a gap-mugger, and occasionally from the edge. Comfortable regardless of his alignment, he can focus on locating and attacking the ball — something he has done regularly since becoming an NFL starter with the Raiders in 2023.
Weaknesses: Not the most naturally gifted athlete, Spillane lacks the standout traits to be a true all-purpose linebacker. While running hot in backside pursuit, he does not have the straight-line speed or range to be a reliable clean-up defender in that regard. Making matters worse from that particular perspective is his rather average lower-body flexibility; Spillane is not the smoothest mover when asked to defend laterally or roll his hips to drop back.
As a result, he has had some issues as a coverage linebacker especially when asked to defend man to man. His read-and-react skills and understanding of offenses allow him to make up for some of his shortcomings, but those still exist and can force him into disadvantageous situations. He simply is not the type of athlete to trust in 1-on-1 situations against tight ends or running backs on a down-to-down basis. The same is true as a pass rusher and second-level blitzer, where he can run hot and cold at times.
In addition, his ball production as a tackler is nothing to write home. Despite his physical play and having delivered 636 combined career hits and sacks between defense and special teams, he has forced just two fumbles.
2025 review
Stats: 17 games (17 starts) | 955 defensive snaps (74.4%), 47 special teams snaps (8.6%) | 115 tackles, 18 missed tackles (13.5%), 4 TFLs, 1 FF | 19 QB pressures (1 sack, 18 hurries) | 74 targets, 63 catches surrendered (85.1%), 578 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 7 PBUs | 0 penalties
Season recap: Spillane entered 2025 free agency off a productive two-year stint in Las Vegas and was rewarded with the biggest contract of his career. The Patriots gave him a three-year, $33 million deal to reunite him with head coach Mike Vrabel. Their intentions of making him a pillar of a rebuilt defense further became clear when fellow linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley — a starter, team captain, and defensive signal caller under the two previous regimes — was cut shortly after Spillane’s arrival.
Spillane took over Bentley’s former role and responsibilities from the jump, and lived up to the billing in his first season as a Patriot. He was inserted into the starting lineup and began wearing the green dot on the helmet in the spring, and by the end of training camp was voted one of six captains by his teammates.
Like he did with the Raiders, he rarely left the field in New England. Over the Patriots’ first 13 games before their early-December bye, Spillane had a playing time share of 95.4% and only missed extended time after getting pulled from blowout wins over the Panthers and Giants.
Despite his high workload, the veteran defender played at a high level up until that bye week. Spillane led the Patriots in tackles, had intercepted two passes and forced a fumble, and registered a sack. He did not have many flashy plays outside of his picks — against Pittsburgh (Week 3) and Cleveland (Week 8) — but was a glue guy for New England’s defense due to his consistency and communication skills.
However, the post-bye part of the season turned out to be a struggle for Spillane.
Spillane hurt his foot leading up to the Patriots’ Week 15 game against the Bills, and while made part of the game day roster never actually entered that game. The following week, he missed all three practices due to what was then labeled an ankle injury — an ailment that would end up keeping him out for the remainder of the regular season.
(Side note: despite not appearing in the final four games of the regular season, Spillane still finished with 97 tackles, 21 more than his closest teammate, fellow LB Christian Elliss).
Luckily for the Patriots, Spillane was back in action and a high-volume role once the playoffs began. He was on the field for a combined 96.3% against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans, registering 12 tackles and a pair of pass breakups.
In the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game in Denver, however, he suffered another ankle injury and was forced to leave the game. Spillane was back in action two weeks later in the Super Bowl, ending his season the way it started: with a 100% performance in what unfortunately for the Patriots turned out to be a losing effort.
On the whole, however, Spillane and the team itself can be quite happy about his first season in New England. An integral player on and off the field, he came as advertised: he adapted well to his new surroundings and even during his injury absences managed to guide the Patriots defense. And while there were some hiccups along the way both related to his health and his game — his coverage skills, as expected, left some to be desired — he proved himself a worthy successor for Ja’Whaun Bentley.
2026 preview
Position: Three-down middle linebacker | Ability: Quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2027 (2028 UFA)
What will be his role? Spillane is set to play the same role in 2026 that he held in 2025. He is the Patriots’ top off-the-ball linebacker and the emotional leader for the entire defense. When healthy, he will rarely leave the field while also playing an important role as an on-field communicator; he will wear the green dot as the defensive signal caller yet again this coming season.
What is his growth potential? Entering his ninth season as a pro, Spillane has pretty much established himself as a player in the NFL. His potential for growth is therefore relatively marginal, especially considering that his weaknesses are primarily related to his athletic skills rather than his processing or technique. That said, staying healthy throughout the season would be a step in the right direction, albeit one that is largely tied to luck.
Does he have positional versatility? Even though Spillane is a three-down defender and can line up in all three linebacker spots — Mike (middle), Will (weakside), Sam (strongside) — he is not the most naturally versatile player. He is better coming downhill from the second level particularly versus the run, for example, than dropping back into coverage. He does have an extensive special teams background (805 career snaps) but played only limited reps outside of the field goal/extra point blocking squad in his first season in New England.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the three-year deal Spillane signed with the Patriots last offseason, he is carrying a $12.3 million salary cap figure into 2026. Most of that number is fully guaranteed through his base salary ($8.3M) and signing bonus proration ($3M). The rest consists of $840,000 in likely to be earned roster bonuses, plus an extra $180,000 categorized as not likely to be earned and therefore not counted against the current cap, and a $180,000 workout bonus.
How safe is his roster spot? Spillane is a lock to be on the Patriots’ roster in 2026 not just due to the guarantee-heavy structure of his contract. He also remains a critical part of the defense, especially considering that the team’s linebacker group will look largely different behind him and fellow starter Christian Elliss.
Summary: Spillane is not the flashiest of players and there are some weaknesses that will prevent him from ever reaching the upper echelon of NFL linebackers, but he is a key cog in New England’s defensive machinery. He also is a culture guy through and through, whose contributions cannot entirely be seen viewed the lens of stats and Xs and Os.
What do you think about Robert Spillane heading into the 2026 season? Will he remain the Patriots’ top linebacker? Will he start showing his age? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
