After two stellar seasons, the New England Patriots rewarded talented linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley with a sizable pay raise in a new contract extension.
This has been a mostly quiet offseason for the New England Patriots. The organization was not very busy in NFL free agency — outside signing Juju Smith-Schuster — and didn’t pull off any blockbuster trades. However, with the start of training camp just a month away things have started to heat up when it comes to rumors around the team.
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In recent weeks, they have been linked to top free agents Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins. While an official signing may not be close just yet, they have started to spend a good bit of money in different ways this week. On Wednesday, the New England Patriots gave wide receiver DeVante Parker a three-year extension worth $33 million. The following day they locked up another young stud with a notable extension.
New England Patriots lockup two young stars to extensions this week
On Thursday, NFL Media league insider Ian Rapoport reported that the team rewarded stud linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley with a two-year extension worth over $18 million. The deal guarantees the 2018 fifth-round pick $9 million over the life of the deal and sees his contract jump from just over $2 million this season to nearly five times that in 2024.
It was not until his third season that the five-year veteran became a starter for the team. However, in his last two seasons, he has become an anchor of the defense with back-to-back 100-plus tackle campaigns. In 2022 he had a career year as he tallied 125 tackles, three sacks, six quarterback hits, and an interception.
Bentley has far exceeded the New England Patriots’ expectations as he has flourished under legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick.