The New England Patriots are entering the 2026 offseason with 14 players headed for free agency, including five in the restricted group. Among them is cornerback Alex Austin, who has been a part-time starter for the team since his arrival in 2023.
Given his free agency status, the Patriots have the inside track to retain Austin before the start of the new NFL league year in March 11. Whether they will opt to do so is a different question, though.
With that said, let’s assess his outlook.
Hard facts
Name: Alex
Austin
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 28
Opening day age: 25 (5/22/2001)
Measurements: 6’1”, 191 lbs, 31 7/8” arm length, 8 1/2” hand size, 4.55s 40-yard dash, 7.06s 3-cone drill, 4.33s short shuttle, 33” vertical jump, 10’2” broad jump, 7.29 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Buffalo Bills (2023), Houston Texans (2023), New England Patriots (2023-) | College: Oregon State (2019-22)
An alumnus of Long Beach Poly, the alma mater of multiple NFL players including ex-Patriots Willie McGinest, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jack Jones, Austin was rated as a three-star recruit out of high school. He received multiple scholarship offers before ultimately deciding to take his talents to Oregon State.
In four seasons with the Beavers, Austin appeared in 36 games with 30 starts and was named honorable-mention All-Pac-12 during each of his final two seasons in Corvallis. His college performance led to him getting selected 252nd overall in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
His time in Buffalo was short-lived, however, and he found himself a member of another team after his release on cutdown day: the Texans claimed him off waivers and he went on to play three games for them as a rookie in 2023. Austin left Houston in November that year and shortly thereafter joined the Patriots.
Since then, he has seen action in 29 games for the team with six starts. He also registered an interception as well as 31 tackles, but also had to miss time on injured reserve in both 2024 and 2025.
2025 review
Stats: 15 games (2 starts) | 144 defensive snaps (11.2%), 157 special teams snaps (28.6%) | 9 tackles, 1 missed tackle (10%), 1 TFL | 13 targets, 10 catches (76.9%), 158 yards, 1 TD, 1 PBU | 4 special teams tackles | 2 penalties
Season recap: Even though he was limited to nine games the previous season, and the Patriots underwent some significant change with the arrival of head coach Mike Vrabel, Austin was kept around as an exclusive rights free agent in the spring of 2025. This, in turn, gave him an opportunity to compete for a rotational spot as a nickel cornerback behind projected starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis.
With both of the two missing time in training camp, Austin saw increased reps with the top-level defense and made them count. He survived roster cutdown day and with Gonzalez nursing a hamstring ailment played 110 of 120 available snaps over the first two weeks of the season. However, the second of those games in particular was a struggle: he surrendered six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins, including a 47-yarder to Tyreek Hill and an 18-yard score to Jaylen Waddle.
As a consequence of his performance and recent waiver claim Charles Woods trending up, he saw his playing time decrease. Over the next two weeks, Austin was on the field for only 34 of 123 defensive snaps. Once Gonzalez was fully back in action, the third-year man was headed for the bench: from Week 5 on, Austin played not a single defensive snap the rest of the season and finished as the fifth CB in the pecking order behind Gonzalez, Davis, Marcus Jones and Woods.
He was actively involved in the kicking game, though, and saw action on up to four units: punt return, kickoff return, kickoff coverage, and field goal/extra point block. Even though not a particularly noteworthy player in the game’s third phase, Austin did manage to carve out a role and finished the season ranked 14th in special teams snaps and 10th in tackles.
That said, he also missed extended time with an injury for a second straight year. In late November, Austin was sent to injured reserve because of a wrist injury. He ended up missing five games as a result of the ailment.
Free agency preview
Free agency status: Restricted free agent (RFA)
What is his contract history? Austin entered the NFL on a standard four-year rookie deal, but never actually played under that pact. Instead, he signed multiple low-level contracts after leaving Buffalo, including most recently the aforementioned exclusive rights tender at a value of $1.03 million. In total, Over the Cap has calculated his contractual career intake at $2.7 million.
Which teams might be in the running? There are several teams in the NFL in need of cornerback help, including the Falcons, Packers, Rams, Dolphins, Giants, Jets and Eagles. All of them could make a play for Austin if he is allowed to enter the open market at the start of the new league year in mid-March.
Why should he be expected back? Even though he didn’t get any opportunities down the stretch in 2025, Austin has the makings of a valuable backup player. He is experienced enough on both defense and special teams that he can step in whenever called upon and contribute in a positive fashion. For a player who will not command anything close to top dollar that is not a bad thing and could lead New England to retain him, particularly after the team decided to return him from injured reserve in 2025.
Why should he be expected to leave? Austin was a non-factor on defense for most of 2025 and did not stand out as a special teamer either. Add the fact that he missed substantial time with an injury yet again, and that depth cornerbacks such as Kobee Minor and Marcellas Dial Jr. are waiting in the wings as well, and you could see why the Patriots might be willing to move on.
What is his projected free agency outcome? The Patriots will forgo tendering Austin even at the lowest level projected at $3.55 million. Instead, he will be allowed to test the open market, which might will eventually result in a return via a one-year minimum deal worth $1.15 million — one that will certainly not make him a lock to be on the roster come the regular season but allow him to at least compete for a spot during the offseason and into training camp.
