According to reports first broken by ESPN's Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter, the Patriots are handing linebacker Jahlani Tavai a three-year contract extension worth up to $21 million. Tavai was set to become a free agent following the 2024 season and is now locked up with New England through the 2027 season.
Tavai was a second-round pick, selected 41st overall by the Lions under Matt Patricia in 2019 and spent two seasons in Detroit, starting 16 games and posting 58 total tackles in both 2019 and 2020. But he was a camp casualty late in the summer of 2021 and immediately joined the Patriots practice squad.