Patriots Sign 2nd-Round OLB Gaba Jacas

Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas has finally put pen to paper on his first NFL contract, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Jacas, the No. 55 overall selection in April’s draft, signed a four-year, $8.66MM deal on Saturday, That is the prescribed amount for his draft slot (via OverTheCap), but the two sides have gone back and forth over guaranteed money. That figure remains unknown.

The Patriots have seemed wary of Jacas’ injury profile, which includes a hamstring issue that sidelined him for the Combine and Illinois’ pro day as well as a labral tear in his shoulder and a stress fracture in his foot that could worsen and require treatment in the future. He is also recovering from cleanup knee surgery earlier this spring.

New England also did not offer Jacas a standard injury waiver that would have allowed him to take the field in the spring with the security of good-faith contract negotiations should he get hurt. Today’s agreement will set him up for his first practice with the team.

Jacas’ guarantees will land between those of No. 54 pick Eli Stowers and No. 56 pick Nate Boerkircher. $7.28MM of Stowers’ $8.89MM rookie deal (just under 82%) was guaranteed, while Boerkircher received $6.74MM guaranteed on his $8.54MM contract (just under 79%). Splitting the difference in terms of both raw dollar value and percentage would be roughly $7MM in guarantees.

Jacas was the second-to-last 2026 draft pick to sign his rookie contract leaguewide. The final one remaining is Rams quarterback and first-round pick Ty Simpson.