B/R Places Patriots LB Among 'Most Team-Friendly' Contracts in NFL

The New England Patriots got a bargain with their newest deal.

Jul 26, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai (48) makes his way to the practice fields for training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots have been busy this offseason when it comes to hammering out new deals to some their most productive pieces from their 2023 campaign.

Among those fresh contracts, we saw none other than standout linebacker Jahlani Tavai get inked to an extension himself. After three seasons in Foxboro, he and the Patriots agreed on a three-year, $15 million deal that effectively keeps him in town until the 2027 offseason.

The decision to re-up with one of this unit's premier defensive pieces was a must-get for the Patriots this offseason, but for the value they were able to secure him at, it stands out as one of the best contracts the NFL has to offer as a whole.

Bleacher Report recently had some praise to dish the Patriots' way as a result of the newfound deal, naming it one of the top five most team-friendly deals in the NFL with notably "fantastic value."

"The decision to insert the Hawaii product into the starting lineup has been a shrewd one for the Pats, especially after he was one of the team's few bright spots in 2023... A cap-flush New England front office recently elected to reward Tavai for those efforts, inking him to another extension—this time for three years with a base value of $15 million with incentives that could take it up to $21 million—earlier this month. Tavai may now be in line to make quite a bit more than his current base salary of $1.63 million, but he should remain fantastic value for the Pats going forward if he continues on his upward trajectory."

- Alex Kay, Bleacher Report

It was a career season for Tavai in 2023. He collected a career-high in tackles, pass deflections, and interceptions, also tying his high in TFLs. The Patriots saw this high-level production and acted quickly, signing him to a much-deserved pay raise, yet to a number that allows them immense flexibility to continue adding to both sides of the ball.

An average value of $5 million a season places Tavai outside of the top 25 paid linebackers in the NFL for the 2024 season, and behind his fellow linebacker teammate Ja'Whaun Bentley ($6.2m), yet his value on the field has shown that he's likely worth a bit more than that. That's what makes this contract so ideal for New England, and there's even the potential for growth moving forward.

With a much healthier defense, headlined by the return of Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon, it could open the window for Tavai to see more opportunities in 2024. If the Patriots want to find some increased success from a season ago, a lot of responsibility leans upon the defense, especially within this linebacker core in New England's system.

Tavai and the rest of the Patriots will hit the field once again when training camp kicks off later in the month, starting officially on July 24th.

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