New head coach Mike Vrabel must have liked what he saw on tape from one New England Patriots defensive player in 2024, and he’s made sure he’ll be sticking around.
According to reports, the team has extended defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr., rewarding him with a two-year contract extension.
Pharms was quietly one of the bright spots on defense last season, appearing in all but one game in 2024. He saw his playing time increase down the stretch and overall finished with 33 tackles, including 4 for a loss, along with two sacks and five quarterback hits in 2024.
The former Friends University Falcons standout has come a long way during his journey into the NFL. The team did a great piece on him last year, with Pharms talking about how he worked odd jobs from retrieving carts at Walmart in Witchita, Kansas, to working construction, to becoming a substitute teacher. In college, he established himself as a solid player on defense, which he said his mother was responsible for him moving to that side of the ball after he played running back in high school.
He never gave up, chasing his dream through the USFL before finally getting his shot at the next level, and he clearly made the most of it.
He credits his mother for his journey and he said that he still seeks her advice to this day. He also said that making it to the NFL wasn’t his only goal. Trying to become an impact player now that he’s here is the plan, and that’s what he’s working toward.
“I’m getting closer to where I want to be,” Pharms Jr. said at the time. “Me getting here isn’t the goal. Me being a name in this league is a goal. Me being a great player when I’m done is a goal.”
“I’ve got a lot to work on, so that’s all I’ve got going. So when I got that phone call, of course I was happy. I lived in the moment, but there’s still work to be done.”
So far, his hard work has paid off. Now, his journey continues, and hopefully, good things are ahead for him as the team turns the page under Vrabel in 2025.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
