The Patriots have made some linebacker payments this offseason, adding Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens and matching the Raiders’ Christian Elliss offer sheet. One of their holdovers will be an odd man out.
Ja’Whaun Bentley is expected to be released Friday, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Bentley is under contract for one more season; the Pats would see $4.35MM in cap savings if they moved on. Bentley, 28, has started 68 games in New England. The three-time team captain tweeted a goodbye message Friday.
This release comes weeks after the Pats did not re-sign Jonathan Jones. With David Andrews gone as well, Patriots ties — among non-specialists, that is — are done. While Bentley has been a Patriot since 2018, he also missed 15 games last season due to injury. That will not give the second-level Pats mainstay much momentum going into free agency.
Attached to a two-year, $13.5MM extension, Bentley suffered a torn pec in Week 2 of last season. This marked the former fifth-round find’s second NFL season with three games or fewer; Bentley went down three games into his rookie season as well. The Pats had used Bentley as a two-game starter that year, providing a sign of stability to come. Bentley started 62 games from 2020-23, earning the extension during Bill Belichick‘s final year in charge.
More to come.
This content was brought to you by: Pro Football RumorsPro Football Rumors
