Whats going on with unsigned Patriots second-rounder Gabe Jacas?
The New England Patriots opened training camp on Friday, and one intriguing player is missing. Second-round pick Gabe Jacas, the 55th overall selection in the 2026 draft, remains unsigned and isn't in camp.So, in an era where most rookie contracts are a walkthrough, what exactly is the problem?Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday morning that the Patriots continue to work through the contract and that the conversations have been positive.Hopefully, you know we'll get him in here sooner rather than later, Vrabel said. Not going to put a timeline on it or a timeframe. But you know, (Ive) spoken to Gabe personally, and again, excited to get him in when he's under contract.In June, Vrabel confirmed that Jacas underwent surgery, which was later reported to be a knee cleanup. The surgery wasnt anticipated to be anything major, but now camp is open and Jacas isnt there. In fact, he barely did anything of note this summer through OTAs, participating in one practice before shutting it down for the summer.The Patriots traded up to No. 55 to draft Jacas this spring, sending fourth- and sixth-rounders to the Chargers to slide up seven spots in Round 2. It appeared then that Jacas had a chance to earn a regular role on a defense that might not fully have addressed their pass-rush needs.If theres concern about how much time Jacas already has missed, Vrabel did his best to couch those feelings. Hes hopeful to have Jacas signed soon and get him caught up on what hes missed while closely monitoring the rookies health.Of course, (well) be as smart as we can and as possible, just to see because we haven't seen him (on the field) with us, Vrabel said. (Ill) use the word cautiously optimistic, but again, those conversations have been great, and (I'm) excited to see where he's at.Whats the hangup with Gabe Jacas contract?Its believed that the injury and contract standoff are related. Although Vrabel seemed unbothered by the situation, both in June and Friday for the start of camp, its possible there is enough concern that the Patriots would seek to protect themselves financially for fear that Jacas could miss notable time.Draft-pick contracts, especially for sub-first-rounders, are typically slotted and fairly routine negotiations these days. But one big variable guaranteed money could be the big hangup. The players selected on either side of Jacas, Eagles TE Eli Stowers (54th overall) and Jaguars TE Nate Boerkircher (56th), received 81.8% and 78.9%, respectively, of their rookie contracts in guaranteed money.That would seemingly slot Jacas to around 80% of his contract under normal circumstances. It will be interesting to see the final details of Jacas deal whenever he eventually signs. After Fernando Mendoza signed his rookie deal on Thursday, the only remaining unsigned 2026 draft pick chosen ahead of Jacas is Rams first-round QB Ty Simpson.Yeah, these are a lot of contractual issues that come up, and you laid out a lot of things that occur throughout those rookie contracts, Vrabel said. But you know every contract is unique. Every contract is different, and it'll get resolved.I'm positive that it will.
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