After putting together the NFL’s eighth-ranked defense in yards allowed last season, the New England Patriots are expected to add further talent in free agency to this already impressive unit.
ESPN’s Ben Solak predicts the team will sign Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd to help offset an anticipated departure at the position.
"The only major change on defense comes when they bring in Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd to replace the outgoing Jack Gibbens."
How landing Devin Lloyd would impact the Patriots 2026 roster
As Solak notes, bringing in Lloyd means New England will part ways with veteran linebacker Jack Gibbens, who will likely get a solid payday elsewhere after far outperforming the value of the one-year/$1.3 million deal he signed last offseason.
Gibbens put together one of the best campaigns of his career in 2025, as he tied or set career highs in games played (17), tackles for loss (eight), pass deflections (four), stuffs (5.5), forced fumbles (one), and sacks (one), while also posting his second highest tackles total (81).
For his performance last season, Pro Football Focus gave Gibbens a grade of 64, the 37th-best mark out of 88 qualifying linebackers.
However, bringing in Lloyd would more than make up for any production lost by Gibbens deciding to walk for a more lucrative opportunity than the Patriots might be able to offer.
Across 15 games played during the 2025 season, the 27th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft registered 1.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, seven pass deflections, five stuffs, and a career-high five interceptions, one of which he returned for a 99-yard touchdown, on his way to earning both Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors for his play.
While Lloyd failed to break the 100 tackles mark for the first time in his four NFL campaigns (totaling 81 on the year), he did record the second-highest tackles for loss mark of his career with six takedowns behind the line of scrimmage. Additionally, his PFF grade of 89.1 was the best mark of the Utah product’s career and ranked third among 88 qualifying linebackers.
What would it cost New England to sign Lloyd?
With seemingly more pressing needs to address at the offensive line, wide receiver, and edge rusher spots, it remains to be seen how much the Patriots will want to spend on the linebacker position during the upcoming offseason.
According to Spotrac, Lloyd’s current market value is expected to be in the range of $60.4 million over three years, for an average salary of $20.1 million per season. That would make him the fourth-highest-paid player on New England’s roster in terms of average annual value, behind defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
This price tag would also be nearly double what the team paid their incumbent starter at middle linebacker, Robert Spillane, who inked a three-year/$33 million deal last spring.
The bottom line here being signing Lloyd to a deal like the one he’s projected to get would be shelling out a lot of money for someone whose addition may be more of a luxury than a necessity for the team.
However, a versatile player like Lloyd, who is effective in both the run and pass game, could really thrive in the Patriots’ defensive schemes, which highly value such a trait. Plus, pairing him with the aforementioned Spillane, who has posted seven interceptions over the past three seasons, could create one of the league’s most dangerous ball-hawking linebacker duos.