Patriots Reportedly Bring Back Promising Young Defender

The New England Patriots made sure to retain a promising player for their defense before the start of free agency.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Wednesday evening that cornerback Alex Austin plans to sign his exclusive rights tender to remain with the Patriots.

Austin appeared in nine games and made three starts for the Patriots in 2024. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound corner spent the middle part of the season on injured reserve, but earned more playing time late in the season. He played in a season-high 92.4% of New England’s defensive snaps in a Week 17 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and followed that up by playing 79.1% of the snaps in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills.

The 23-year-old had five pass breakups over the final five games of the season, which ranked him third among all Patriots corners for the entire season. And for his career, Austin has one interception and 18 tackles. If Austin can build off his previous year of work, he will put himself in contention for a starting spot next season.

Austin, who was originally drafted by the Bills in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, joined the Patriots midway through the 2023 campaign after being released by the Houston Texans.

Austin will be a restricted free agent in 2026, per Reiss.