FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Gabe Jacas didn't get off to the smoothest start after being selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The outside linebacker made a brief appearance at rookie minicamp, but didn't take part in the drills, instead standing to the side in his jersey. Then, throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Jacas was missing in action, as he remained one of the few first-year players who had not signed their rookie contract. That lasted throughout the summer break, but news broke on the first day of training camp that Jacas and the Patriots had agreed on a deal.
And on Saturday, he made his camp debut, coming off the non-football injury list and taking part in practice.
“We’ve got some time
to make up. We’ve got to make up for lost time, I think, a little bit, with Gabe,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday. “I’d say he’s working hard. I think he’s into it. He’s trying to learn. He’s focused. A lot of these things are new for him, and I think he has done a good job of controlling what he can control.
“I see him in there meeting with Smitty [outside linebackers coach Mike Smith] a lot – and again, there’s a return to play. He’ll have a few more reps than he did yesterday and – these situations he has to just understand, and it’s good to see him get acclimated to the special team stuff. So, I think it’s going well. I think we’re off to a good start, and hopefully he can continue to keep adding things and figure out where he can help us defensively and really, special teams.”
However, now that everything is settled, Jacas has no interest in talking about what happened over the past few months.
“I mean, it doesn’t matter, and all that stuff is behind me,” Jacas told reporters after practice. “Whatever happened in the past is the past, and just trying to look forward and focus on the future.”
Some of the contract tie-ups were thought to be about his injury, with Jacas having undergone a procedure on his knee this offseason. The deal does include an injury waiver on his left knee that runs through 2028, which means the guarantees in his contract do not apply to his left knee.
But, according to Jacas, there's nothing to worry about as it concerns his knee, saying that he's “100 percent.”
“The knee is good, and I’m out here now, so that’s all I can say,” Jacas said.
And he's excited to show what he's capable of, calling himself a "very physical, very violent" defender.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots' Gabe Jacas reacts to contract struggles, injury questions
