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The New England Patriots have a new boss for the first time in a long time. For 24 years, Bill Belichick was the head coach and led the team to many victories. Now, Jerod Mayo is the head coach, and Eliot Wolf is like the team’s manager.
It’s a big change.
Mayo and Wolf are new to their roles, so they’ll probably make some mistakes at first. But they have a good team to start with because Belichick left behind a strong roster. “It’s like building on a solid foundation,” some might say.
One of the players from Belichick’s time is Jahlani Tavai. He was picked by the Detroit Lions in 2019 but joined the Patriots in 2021. Since then, he’s become an important player for New England.
Recently, Tavai signed a three-year contract extension with the Patriots. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, this deal could be worth up to $21 million. Not too shabby for someone who’s not yet a household name!
Tavai is one of those players who might not always be in the spotlight but does all the little things right. In 2023, he had one of his best seasons ever, with impressive stats across the board: 110 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, and more.
This isn’t Tavai’s first contract extension with New England. After being waived by the Lions, he found success with the Patriots in a versatile role that moved him around on defense. His previous deal was worth $4.4 million over two years.
Interestingly, Tavai still had one year left on his old contract. Unlike teams like the Dallas Cowboys, who are struggling with contract issues, the Patriots decided to secure Tavai before he became a free agent next offseason.
New England still has about $40 million in salary cap space available.