Latest news with #ChristianElliss
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Patriots defensive coordinator still absent due to ‘health scare'
FOXBOROUGH – As the Patriots work their way through their offseason workout program, there's a notable presence missing on the field. This marks the second week of OTAs as the Patriots have two more weeks left of spring practices before departing for a brief vacation. At this point, the team is still without defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. Advertisement Earlier this offseason, Mike Vrabel revealed that Williams had not been in Foxborough due to a medical issue. The defensive coordinator explained that he was back home and not able to travel due to his doctor's orders. On Wednesday, before practice, Vrabel said he didn't have any updates on Williams. 'No, just that he continues to, like our players, work hard to get back,' Vrabel said. 'I'm excited to have him back. Again, the communication that I see every day with him and the players in their meetings, and I know that he's excited. Hopefully, we'll get him back here sooner rather than later.' Williams wouldn't go into detail on his condition, but noted it was a 'health scare' and 'traumatic.' Advertisement With Williams not at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots have made some adjustments. In his absence, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr has taken over defensive coordinator duties during practice. Inside the building, however, the Patriots still have Williams run defensive meetings virtually through Zoom. After Wednesday's practice, linebacker Christian Elliss said the defensive coordinator is still able to make an impact on his players. 'Coach T is still with us. We see him every single day on Zoom,' Elliss said. 'So, his energy is not unfelt. We still hear his energy, hear his voice. He gives us the corrections we need to get, so he's still our DC and he still leads this group.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Mike Vrabel Weighs In On Patriots' Re-Signing Of Christian Elliss
The New England Patriots signed linebacker Christian Elliss to a two-year contract extension as a ... More restricted free agent. (Photo by) The New England Patriots did not negotiate the contract that kept Christian Elliss in the building. To keep the linebacker there, the team had to agree to take on another team's terms instead. The Las Vegas Raiders hosted Elliss on a visit as a restricted free agent in March. An offer sheet followed. And as the deadline to match arrived last week in Foxborough, so did a two-year extension worth $13.508 million. 'And this was a difficult decision,' Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters during Monday's AFC coaches breakfast at the annual NFL meetings in Florida. 'It was one that we ultimately decided that a young, ascending player that has his skillset and speed, we feel like he can do a lot of different things for us and that his arrow is up.' Elliss, 26, had been tendered by New England at the right of first refusal leading up to the start of the 2025 league year. That one-year, $3.263 million base level came with the risk of his departure without draft compensation coming in return. After Las Vegas stepped in, however, it proved to be a placeholder for the 6-foot-2, 231-pound linebacker. 'We felt like we wanted to keep him on the roster,' Vrabel said. 'So, in order to do that, we had to match the offer sheet.' Elliss earned a base salary of $985,000 last season. He did so while appearing in 16 games, including a handful of starts, and totaling 513 snaps on defense and 247 snaps on special teams. The volume gave way to new career bests with 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception and five passes defensed in all. The University of Idaho product now moves forward with $7.75 million fully guaranteed, according to as well as cap charges of $4.842 million for 2025 and $8.629 million for 2026. 'Christian is excited, by all accounts, to be back,' Vrabel said. 'We're excited to have him. This is a player that the more he played, I think the better that he got. He was very good on third down and fourth down. And then first and second down, the more he played, the better he got on first and second down.' Upon entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2021, Elliss spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. He had accrued 19 games and a single start before heading to Gillette Stadium as a waiver claim in December 2023. The off-the-ball linebacker depth chart that Elliss remains on has been overhauled in recent weeks. Following the additions of Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens in free agency, the Patriots informed defensive captain and Super Bowl LIII champion Ja'Whaun Bentley of his release after seven seasons. The position group also includes Jahlani Tavai and Monty Rice under contract as the voluntary offseason program nears.
