The New England Patriots have made their first contractual move of the 2022 off-season with a player from the main roster, agreeing to a one-year extension with linebacker Harvey Langi.
Agent Kenny Zuckerman broke the news when he tweeted on Friday to congratulate Langi. Ian Rapoport later confirmed that it’s a one-year deal for the 29-year-old.
Langi played 53 percent of special teams snaps for the Patriots over the first seven games of 2021, but went on injured reserve after suffering an MCL injury in a win against the Jets. The team designated him to return in December, but the 21-day window passed before he could be activated, so he remained on IR to end the season.
Originally a member of the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Langi has since established himself as an NFL-caliber special teams regular when healthy. He played 30 games for the Jets from 2019-20, including 52 percent of defensive snaps in 2020.
Langi has had to overcome some horrific injury situations during his career. He missed most of his rookie 2017 season after a drunk driver rear-ended his vehicle at a stop light on Route 140 in Foxboro, causing serious injuries to him and his wife, Cassidy. In 2018, he suffered an internal laceration during a Patriots training camp practice. He ended up being released and signing with the Jets’ practice squad, where he remained for all of 2018.
Langi should be right back in the mix for a special teams role in 2022, if not also on the defense. He was close to returning from his MCL injury in December, so he certainly should be 100 percent at minicamp.
The signing followed up a series of futures contracts with practice squad players, including wide receivers Kristian Wilkerson and Tre Nixon.
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