Patriots sign 11 players to futures contracts

The New England Patriots' 2026 offseason is officially underway. On Tuesday the team made its first series of moves, signing 11 players to futures contracts.

All 11 players were a part of the Patriots' practice squad at the end of the 2025 season. They are...

WR Jeremiah Webb
WR John Jiles
TE Marshall Lang
G Mehki Butler
T Lorenz Metz
DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
DL Leonard Taylor III
LB Amari Gainer
LB Otis Reese
G Andrew Rupcich
S John Saunders Jr.

A futures contract is a mechanic that lets teams re-sign practice squad players or players who weren't under any contract at the end of the season, without having to make corresponding roster moves. The roster limit does not officially expand to 90 players until the start of the new league year on March 11, and futures contracts are typically minimum-money deals that don't officially start until that date, meaning those players will not count against the 53-man roster.

The most notable players on the Patriots' futures list this year are defensive linemen Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Leonard Taylor III, who both saw game action this year. Pharms was on the active roster at one point last season, and Taylor was elevated from the practice squad the maximum three times during the regular season and then all throughout the playoffs.

Players from the practice squad not re-signed on futures contracts included running back D'Ernest Johnson, wide receiver Trent Sherfield, center Brenden Jaimes, guard Andrew Rupcich, linebacker Patrick Johnson, cornerback Miles Battle, and safety Richie Grant. Johnson and Battle stand out from that group as they spent time on the Patriots' active roster this year. They could be hoping to test the free agency market, the team could be looking to move on, or around round of futures deals could be in the works.