Medicals Holding Up Deal For Patriots Rookie OLB Gabe Jacas?

According to Mike Reiss, there could be medical questions holding up a deal between the Patriots and second-round OLB Gabe Jacas, their lone remaining unsigned pick.  

The Patriots have been sparse with details but Reiss confirmed Jacas had a “clean-up” knee procedure that he’s been recovering from. It kept him sidelined during rookie minicamp. However, Jacas has not been with the team since May, per Reiss, missing the mandatory minicamp last week. 

Reiss was told by two sources from other teams that Jacas got a passing grade on his physical exam from them, although he had a labral tear in his shoulder and a stress fracture in his foot that were flagged as potentially needing intervention down the road. 

He adds he doesn’t know if the knee issue happened after his physical at the Combine and recheck, or if it came up during his 30 visit in late April, or if it was something the Patriots were caught off guard by. 

Ultimately, Reiss was told Jacas should be fine for the season and recovered in time for camp. He’s away from the team now because he wasn’t given a standard “participation agreement” from the Patriots, per Reiss’ source.

Most draft picks receive such an agreement, which states that if they were to sustain an injury prior to signing their first NFL contract, the team would still be obligated to sign them to a contract based on the slot they were drafted.

One high-ranking NFL executive hypothesized to Reiss that the Patriots are seeking a level of financial protection in the contract based on the medical procedure, which would explain the holdup.

However, missing the spring potentially puts Jacas behind in preparing for his rookie season. 

“Will he be a little bit behind? Yeah. Who wouldn’t?” Patriots OLB coach Mike Smith said. “As a coach, I coach things different; I’ve got a different mama [approach] than every other OLB or edge coach in the NFL. That’s my job — to try to get him ready to go when his opportunity [comes].” 

Jacas, 21, was a three-star recruit and the 75th-ranked edge rusher in the 2022 recruiting class out of Port St. Lucie, Florida. He committed to Illinois and remained there for four years, earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2025.

The Patriots used the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 draft on Jacas. He’s projected to sign a four-year, $8.657 million rookie contract that includes a signing bonus of $2.756 million. 

In his collegiate career, Jacas appeared in 50 games over four years at Illinois and recorded 183 total tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, two passes defended, one fumble recovery and seven forced fumbles.

We’ll have more on Jacas as the news is available.