On Saturday, the New England Patriots took a significant step in retaining one of their most important free agents this offseason. Per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Patriots gave linebacker Christian Elliss the right of first refusal tender valued at $3.26 million. This allows New England to match any offer another team makes for Elliss in restricted free agency.
Restricted free agent updates:#Bears gave DT Chris Williams right of first refusal tender ($3.263M)#Jaguars gave OL Cole Van Lanen original (6th) round tender ($3.406M)#Patriots gave LB Christian Elliss ROFR tender ($3.263M)
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 8, 2025
Patriots Keep Christian Elliss on the Right of First Refusal Tender
With the free agency negotiation period starting on Monday, Elliss was one of the top priorities for the Patriots. New England doesn't have too many key contributors hitting free agency, and they have, by far, the most cap space of any team in the NFL.
Keeping Elliss on a non-guaranteed $3.26 million salary gives GM Eliot Wolf even more financial flexibility. This contract results in a net salary cap loss of $2.3 million for the Patriots, essentially a non-factor considering that the Patriots have over $120 million in cap space per Over The Cap.
This also means that the Patriots are bringing back their core linebacker group from a season ago. Jahlani Tavai and Elliss played the most defensive snaps after Ja'Whaun Bentley missed the majority of the season. He is expected to be back next season and will presumably take over as the starter.
The Patriots will hope that Elliss continues to build upon his career season. In 16 games, Elliss had 42 solo tackles, five QB hits, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble and received a 72.6 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus. Ever since he was claimed off waivers by the Patriots at the end of the 2023 campaign, the former Eagle has been an important defensive contributor defensively.
This move doesn't preclude the Patriots from signing Elliss to a long-term extension. Depending on how free agency shakes out, New England could offer the standout defender a multi-year deal that could bring his cap hit down for 2025.