It took until the first day of training camp, but the Patriots can finally close the book on their 2026 draft class. New England's second-round edge rusher, Gabe Jacas, put pen to paper on his rookie deal, and according to Adam Schefter, that made him the last unsigned second-rounder in the entire league.
Adam Schefter broke the news that the Patriots officially signed their second-round pick.
Patriots announced they signed second-round pick Gabe Jacas.
The deal is reportedly a standard 4-year rookie contract worth roughly $8.66 million, the prescribed slot value for the 55th overall pick. New England actually traded up to get there, sending its original 63rd overall selection along with picks in the 4th and 6th rounds to the Chargers to move up and grab Jacas. That's not a light price to pay for a guy who'd been sitting unsigned into camp.
Jacas comes out of Illinois as one of the more decorated pass rushers in that program's history — a First Team All-Big Ten pick who led the conference in sacks last season and finished his college career 2nd all-time at Illinois with 27.0 sacks, trailing only the legendary Simeon Rice. At 6-foot-4 and around 260 pounds, he's built exactly like the high-motor, violent-handed edge defenders the Patriots have historically coveted up front.
The delay in getting his signature wasn't about a contentious negotiation, it was medical — Jacas underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee, which is standard for slotted rookie deals to sort out before the ink dries. With that settled, there was nothing left holding up the paperwork.
Schefter followed up hours later to confirm the whole 2026 draft class is now signed league-wide.
And on Sunday, July 26, all 2026 NFL draft picks now are officially signed.
That second tweet is really the bigger-picture headline here. Jacas being the last second-rounder to sign meant his signature effectively closed out signings for the entire 2026 draft class across the league, not just in Foxborough. It's a bookkeeping milestone the NFL hits every summer, but it matters because it means every rookie is now cleared to be a full participant in training camp with no distractions.
For the Patriots specifically, it means Mike Vrabel's staff can stop worrying about paperwork and start figuring out where Jacas fits in a pass rush that could use juice off the edge. Given what New England gave up to trade up for him, expectations are already baked in — and now camp reps are all that stand between him and finding out if he's worth it.