Patriots Gave Sizable Contracts to These Two UDFAs
The New England Patriots apparently have high hopes for two undrafted free agents they signed over the weekend.
Amongst the flurry of moves they made after the draft concluded, the Patriots signed Boston College tight end Jake Burt and Arkansas linebacker De'Jon "Skuta" Harris. But it was the size of their contracts that caught everyone's eye.
Harris reportedly signed a three-year deal with a $15,000 signing bonus and $140,000 in guarantees. Though that doesn't seem like a big contract for an NFL player, here's one way to put it into perspective: New England's 2019 seventh-round draft pick, CB Ken Webster, earned $74,576 in his rookie deal, which is only half of what Harris will earn in guarantees.
Burt will reportedly earn $80,000 in guarantees from the Patriots. Tight end Ryan Izzo - who was a seventh-round pick of the Patriots two years ago - signed a rookie deal worth $69,070. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Burt's deal was one of the larger contracts for a UDFA tight end.
With linebacker and tight end being two of the team's top needs this offseason, it's no surprise that New England wanted to stack up on both of those positions via the draft and undrafted free agency. They went out and spent a second round pick (Josh Uche), third round pick (Anfernee Jennings) and a sixth round pick (Cassh Maluia) on linebackers, along with signing Harris and San Diego State UDFA Kyahva Tezino. As for tight end, they used two third rounders to draft tight ends (Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene) and also signed Burt and Ohio State's Rashon Berry. They also signed four UDFA wide receivers (Will Hastings, Isaiah Zuber, Sean Riley, Jeff Thomas) which was also a need this offseason.
Burt and Harris earned some of the larger contracts you'll find for UDFAs likely as an attempt to lure them to New England. There's no shortage of bidding wars going on in the NFL following the draft, so the Patriots - who wholeheartedly want to spark a fierce competition at linebacker and tight end this summer - went out and signed two players to sizable contracts that they feel can compete at those positions during training camp for a spot on the roster.
Harris - at 6-foot, 245 pounds - had over 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons he played at Arkansas. In 2019, he recorded 101 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Burt - at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds - had 15 catches for 212 yards and one touchdown last season.
