Jakob Johnson broke a bit of news on his way out of New England.
After signing with Josh McDaniels’ Las Vegas Raiders last week, the 27-year-old fullback told a German news outlet that his services were no longer needed in Foxboro, Mass., because the Patriots were eliminating his position from their offense.
If true, that’s a seismic shift for Bill Belichick’s club, which annually has ranked at or near the top of the NFL in fullback usage. But not an altogether surprising one.
This is the pivot some were predicting after New England shelled out big money for tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith last March.