The New England Patriots made one of the biggest offseason splashes this season when the team hired Mike Vrabel to be their next head coach.
Last year, New England was coached by Jerod Mayo, who was in his first season as the team’s head coach. However, after a 4-13 season, the team knew it was time to move in a different direction.
Now that Vrabel is in charge of the team and has a defensive mindset, players who played a significant role in last year’s defense may be seeking new homes. According to Enzo Flojo from Clutch Points, linebacker Jahlani Tavai could be a candidate to be cut this offseason.
“If you followed the Patriots closely under Bill Belichick, you know Jahlani Tavai was a fixture. He is a heady, physical linebacker who did a little bit of everything. He was the kind of player Belichick loved: reliable, position-versatile, and tough. However, Vrabel’s vision for this defense is different. That shift could leave Tavai in a precarious spot,” Flojo wrote. “This is no longer the linebacker room Tavai once anchored. Landry is expected to play a hybrid role, while Christian Elliss and Spillane bring new skill sets. 2024 third-round pick Marcellas Dial has also drawn rave reviews for his athleticism and coverage instincts. This unit is getting faster and more fluid. These don’t necessarily describe Tavai’s downhill, contact-heavy style.”
Tavai has spent the last four seasons in New England, recording 3.5 sacks and 308 total tackles over that time.
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Tavai is in the middle of a three-year, $16 million contract, so the team could try to get out of it, only taking on a six-million-dollar cap hit this season.
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