After making eight outside additions during the first week of free agency, the New England Patriots kicked off its second week with a somewhat surprising move. Niko Lalos, a former edge rusher who most recently played long snapper for the Saints, was signed to a one-year contract.
Lalos joins a team with a long snapper already under contract — 2025 seventh-round draft pick Julian Ashby — which sets the stage for a potential camp competition at the position. Looking at that possible showdown purely
from a contractual perspective, however, there is little to suggest that the new addition should be regarded a favorite heading into the battle.
The Patriots, after all, gave Lalos a minimum contract with no guarantees.
LS Niko Lalos: Contract details
Base value: $1,005,000
Maximum value: $1,005,000
Guarantees: $0
2026 (age 29):
Base salary: $1,005,000
Salary cap hit: $1,005,000
Just like the contract edge defender Jesse Luketa signed with the Patriots leading up to free agency, this one also is as straight-forward a deal as you will find in the NFL. It consists only of Lalos’ non-guaranteed salary, which is determined by his experience in the league.
And that experience is quite limited. Even though he entered the league in 2020, when he played six games for the Giants and registered two takeaways in just 144 combined defensive and special teams snaps, he has only one credited season on his résumé: he spent a majority of his pro career on the Giants’ and Saints’ practice squads, which are not relevant for minimum salary calculations.
Accordingly, his $1.005 million deal is the minimum for a player with a single credited season under his belt. Considering that the number neither contains any guarantees nor is ranked among the 51 biggest on New England’s pay roll, Lalos currently is not counted against the club’s salary cap.
That will change if he makes the 53-man roster, but the Patriots are prepared to move on without absorbing any dead money either.
