The New England Patriots are already entering a franchise-changing season. They hired a new head coach, revamped their front office and expect to reorganize their roster from top to bottom. Free will will be an important part of this process.
Outside players will certainly be added, and in-house free agents will also need to be dealt with.
All 24 are scheduled to hit the open market this spring and require new contracts.
Among them is cornerback Alex Austin, the first player in our free agent profile series. After finishing his high school career at Long Beach Poly High School, the alma mater of future Patriots teammates JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jack Jones, Austin took his talents to Oregon State. In four seasons with the Beavers, he appeared in 36 games and recorded several highlights.
Austin caught four passes, including one returned for a touchdown, and recovered three fumbles. He also earned All-Pac-12 honors in his final two seasons in Corvallis. However, he had to wait until the 252nd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft to hear his name called. The Buffalo Bills acquired him, and he later joined the Patriots in November after spending time with the Houston Texans.
In all, Austin played in eight games and has one shutout on his resume. Season Summary: As mentioned above, Austin entered the NFL last spring as a seventh-round pick of the Bills. He spent the entire summer in Buffalo and saw action in all three of the team’s preseason games. However, his performance wasn’t good enough to secure a roster spot and he was released before the deadline at the end of August.But the rookie didn’t have to wait long to find a new home.
The Texans waived him and added him to their 53-man roster a day after he was released by the Bills. Despite his late arrival, Austin saw action in three games in the first two months of the regular season. But his impact was limited and he was released again in early November after not recording a single stat in a combined 19 defensive and special teams snaps. That, a lack of pedigree and a failed career in Buffalo didn’t stop New England from signing the 22-year-old. The Patriots placed him on the active roster to fill the spot previously held by injured wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. . Since his arrival, Austin has joined a cornerback group that has dealt with its fair share of personnel issues for a number of reasons. As a result, he played a relatively large role in New England during the 2023 free agency preview.
What is his contract history? Austin signed a standard four-year rookie contract after being drafted by the Bills last April, but was worth just a fraction of his $3.92 million total value when he was claimed off waivers after was traded to Houston. The bulk of his career Over The Cap earnings of $780,451 came after he joined the Patriots in November on a one-year deal worth $750,000.
