The New England Patriots began training camp on July 25, as they gear up for the 2026 season. They have made additions to both sides of the ball, and in the 2026 NFL draft, they selected Gabe Jacas with the 55th pick in the second round.
The start of his Patriots career wasn't smooth, but both sides were still able to agree to terms on his rookie deal. Yet, it comes with a catch. ESPN's Mike Reiss revealed that Jacas' contract includes an injury waiver for his left knee, and the waiver voids after 2028.
Reiss added that typically rookie contracts don't include injury waivers, but it shows that the Patriots want some extra security around Jacas.
Patriots added special caveat to Gabe Jacas' contract
Jacas has missed all of the offseason workouts due to his knee injury. He had a clean-up procedure done, but it's unclear when he suffered that injury. New England had Jacas in for a predraft visit on April 20, but the knee issue didn't surface until later.
So the fact that he had surgery made some people within the building uneasy. Not only was he sidelined for the spring, but it has carried over to summer. Jacas has started camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list, which shows he isn't ready for any football activity.
At the same time, head coach Mike Vrabel doesn't seem to be worried and his comments on Monday show that.
"We're going to evaluate him, we're going to see where he's at. This is all part of the process. We would do this with any player who had extended time away or surgery in the offseason. I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll work his way through the return to play and we'll get him back out there," Vrabel said.
Only time will tell when Jacas will get back on the field, but the Patriots believe he can be a contributor for this team in 2026. While he won't blow anyone away with his speed, Jacas has strong hands and a relentless motor that teams love.
In his collegiate career, Jacas finished with 183 total tackles, 35.5 TFLs, and 27 sacks. That sack number is second in Illinois history, as he's posted eight-plus sacks in back-to-back seasons.
The talent is there for sure, but some hurdles emerged over the last couple of months. Jacas' knee injury gave New England a cause for concern, which is why they added the injury waiver to his contract. It gives them some protection if things were to go south with his knee, as it carries over for the next three years. That's not typical, but New England made it a priority to include it in his contract.
Hopefully this will be an afterthought and Jacas gets on the field soon, but the Patriots wanted to be safe and protect themselves.
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