Patriots Sign 11 Players To Futures Contracts, First Move Of 2026

There is no Super Bowl hangover for the New England Patriots front office. They were back in action on Tuesday, just two days after the loss, to ink up 11 key players from the New England Patriots practice squad.

The team announced the signings on its website.

“The New England Patriots announced that they have signed 11 players to futures contracts: G Mehki Butler, LB Amari Gainer, WR John Jiles, TE Marshall Lang, T Lorenz Metz, DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr., LB Otis Reese, G Andrew Rupcich, S John Saunders Jr., DL Leonard Taylor III and WR Jeremiah Webb. All of those players finished the season on the New England practice squad,” the release read.

Butler, Pharms and Saunders headline the group as potential 53-man pieces next season.

Futures contracts are a tool that teams use to essentially reserve players. Players who sign these contracts did not end the season on the active roster, but by signing, they do not become free agents when the new league year starts. This means they are not free to negotiate with other teams.

Locking up these players early is good for New England in two ways.

Firstly, it provides a sort of baseline for positional depth as free agency approaches. This allows the Patriots to analyze their position rooms and understand how much they can afford to dole out in new contracts while still being able to fill the roster.

Secondly, it fills out the practice squad and ensures that the players New England is going after in free agency are expected contributors, as opposed to deep depth pieces like these 11 players already are.

For the players, the benefit is obvious: guaranteed work in a familiar system as they continue to develop.