The New England Patriots made sure that they retained a promising piece to their defense prior to the start of free agency.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Wednesday evening that cornerback Alex Austin plans to sign his exclusive rights tender to remain with the Patriots.
Austin appeared in nine games and made three starts for the Patriots in 2024. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound corner spent the middle part of the season on injured reserved, but earned more playing time late in the season. He played in a season-high 92.4% of New England’s defensive snaps in a Week 17 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and followed that up by playing 79.