Patriots double up on Pro Bowl
New England hands out two contracts, one big and one small, to bring familiar Pro Bowl faces into Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach.
The New England Patriots have spent much of this offseason talking about a rebuild, but on Sunday night, they took a sharp turn toward experience – twice. The team agreed to terms with two Pro Bowl veterans, adding outside linebacker Harold Landry III on a three-year deal and re-signing tight end Austin Hooper for another year, according to multiple reports.
For a team that hasn’t had much to celebrate on the field lately, locking in two players with Pro Bowl résumés is a possible clue to how new head coach Mike Vrabel plans to shape this roster.
Who is Harold Landry?
Landry, a former Titans pass rusher and 2021 Pro Bowler, is getting a second chance to make an impact after a tough break in 2022, when a torn ACL wiped out his entire season. He returned last year and looked like his old self, finishing with nine sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 15 quarterback hits in all 17 games.
The Patriots are paying him like they expect that version to stick around: $43.5 million over three years, with $26 million guaranteed, per reports. That’s a serious investment in a player who was Tennessee’s longest-tenured defender before they cut him for cap reasons.
But it’s not hard to connect the dots here. Vrabel, who drafted Landry when he was coaching the Titans, knows exactly what he’s getting. So does Terrell Williams, New England’s new defensive coordinator, who worked with Landry for six years in Tennessee.
Mike Vrabel said, "If you're going to be willing to ask somebody how they are doing, be willing to sit there and listen to them. Don't make it a fly-by."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 9, 2025
Real leadership isn't fake.
Leaders don't just check a box - they invest and care.
(@MVP_Mindset)pic.twitter.com/o3BCgmHgBx
While Landry’s deal is the headline-grabber, the Patriots also quietly took care of business on offense by bringing back tight end Austin Hooper. His one-year contract is worth $5 million, with a max value of $7 million, according to ESPN.
Hooper, a two-time Pro Bowler (2018 and 2019), caught 45 passes for 476 yards and three touchdowns last season. He’s now heading into his second year in New England, but like Landry, his ties to Vrabel run deep – they worked together in Tennessee in 2022.
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