Two Patriots exclusive rights free agents could make the 2025 90-man roster
Ben Brown and Alex Austin are two of the New England Patriots’ exclusive rights free agents (ERFAs) — a player who has played two or fewer NFL seasons and their contract has expired.
Brown is a 26-year-old center who played his second NFL season last year with the Patriots. He played 10 games with the team. Brown was signed by New England off the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad in mid-October.
Austin, 23, joined the Patriots part way through his rookie season in 2023 after being released by both the Bills and the Texans. Austin played in 14 games for the Patriots (five in 2023 and nine in 2024).
Both Brown and Austin’s futures are contingent on the Patriots. If the team want to keep the players, they would only have to tender a qualifying offer — a one-year contract worth the league minimum based on their experience — which would keep either player in New England and prevent them from hitting free agency. Without a tender, the players would have the opportunity to sign with any team around the league, like any other free agent.
It could be in the Patriots’ best interest to keep both players around, they are both relatively young, they have some NFL experience, and they would not cost the team very much money. League minimum for players with two years of experience is $985,000.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore communications student at Northeastern University. Follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
