Coming into the 2025 offseason, it was believed the Patriots would make a big splash in free agency and focus on improving the offensive and defensive lines. That was made apparent by new head coach Mike Vrabel, and he has lived up to that with the first few signings the team has made to kick off the legal tampering period.
Over the weekend, it was unsurprisingly revealed that former Titans linebacker Harold Landry was signing with New England, reuniting with his former coach on a three-year deal. Although he's not the flashiest of names, Landry is projected to be an excellent fit for the Patriots' new defensive scheme and will help improve an underperforming linebacker unit immediately.
Keeping with that position, the Patriots then made their first big move on Monday by signing Raiders standout linebacker Robert Spillane, a captain in Las Vegas with ties to Vrabel and Josh McDaniels from his time as the Raiders' head coach.
Patriots signing free-agent LB Robert Spillane (Raiders) to a 3-year, $37.5 million deal, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 10, 2025
Spillane entered NFL in 2018 with the Titans as an undrafted free agent -- Mike Vrabel's first year as head coach there. So familiarity comes into play again.
It's a solid deal for a player the Raiders were hoping to bring back and a big move for the Patriots' hopes of putting together a more physical and dependable defense.
Patriots send a clear message about what they want their defense to be with Robert Spillane signing
The Patriots defense has long been the better performing group on the roster, especially in the post-Tom Brady years, so it was predictable that Vrabel would prioritize making the necessary moves to get the group back to the kind of defense they had once been known for.
The most notable descriptors were their physicality and toughness, two traits that Spillane has exemplified during his career. These traits will inevitably rub off on the rest of the group and benefit the younger players hoping to make a splash in their careers.
Spillane will be a leader in that regard, and his on-field performance has consistently proven that. Over the last two years, he has recorded 306 combined tackles, 17 for a loss, seven quarterback hits, 11 passes defended, five interceptions, and 5.5 sacks.
Bringing that kind of performance to Foxboro is much-needed and could make this a sneaky good signing for the Patriots down the road.