While the negotiations surrounding Christian Gonzalez were one of the things Mike Vrabel addressed on Tuesday, the other was the absence of rookie second-round pick, Gabe Jacas.
Jacas has been away from the facility this offseason, which has led to questions about the Patriots’ second-round selection. The rookie out of Illinois is not under contract, which has been a trend among players coming out of round two in recent years. The issue tends to stem from the amount of guaranteed money in the deal, with the contracts for draft picks having been part of the last labor agreement.
TreVeyon Henderson took some time to get under contract last offseason as well, but by all accounts, Henderson seemed to participate in the voluntary sessions last spring. He was also among the players who had some good moments during that period, which saw him build some positive momentum ahead of training camp.
In Jacas’ case, it also sounds like whatever his reasoning is may have more to do than just money. Mike Reiss previously reported that part of the rookie’s absence has been due to injury, although the expectation seemed to be that he’d return soon.
“Again, he had a procedure, and he’s not under contract,” said Vrabel on Tuesday. When asked if he’s frustrated with how things have gone, Vrabel quickly dismissed that notion.
“No, it hasn’t. Not one bit,” said Vrabel. “I’ve been excited to work with the players here and have learned that there’s only so many things that you can control and excited about the development of the guys in that room, ones that have been here that, you know, are going into their second year or the ones that we drafted or the ones that we signed in the post-draft or the ones that we signed in free agency.”
For a player who is joining a new team at the NFL, the fact he hasn’t been here would seemingly delay his ability to grasp an understanding of the defense and set him back.
As a former player, Vrabel has seen both sides of it. Jacas’ injury situation is just as tough as the negotiations, but given the fact Harold Landry is also working his way back, being physically ready is clearly the priority.
“I mean, I don’t know,” said Vrabel when asked how far behind Jacas might be. “You know what I mean? So, I know that we were here for 8 weeks and 10, 11 OTAs or whatever that is. You know what I mean? I don’t know. Can’t— can’t say, won’t say. I don’t think that’s fair to anybody.”
Following the signing of Bengals rookie Cashius Howell on Tuesday, Jacas is now the lone remaining second-round pick who has yet to sign his contract. He’s also the lone Patriots rookie to remain unsigned, with first-round pick Caleb Lomu having signed his deal on Monday.
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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.
Jacas had an injury that limited him pre-draft. It was known. I think I saw it was soft tissue. Hamstring someone noted. Not a big deal in OTA time. Bigger deal if he’s not able to practice in July/August. Then you’ll get the media saying the team is to thin in the off-season (they have!). Jeez. They should be good at DE if Landry is back and healthy. Landry, Jones, Jacas and Ponder look like 4 decent players. Nice if Swinson or others can push for jobs too. Landry I beleive had a surgery off-season (not solid on that) so… Read more »