Mike Rice
Foxborough, Massachusetts — The New England Patriots released veteran starting linebacker Ja’whaun Bentley on Friday, the team announced.
Bentley, the three-time captain, who has been in his eighth season with the team, posted a farewell message to X.
New England!! ️
Thank you for everything!! ️
It was a blessing– JB (@nvbentley33) March 28, 2025
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Bentley scored more than 100 tackles in each of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, earning a career in 122 in 2022.
When the Patriots signed a three-year, $33 million contract with former Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spiran in early March, they questioned whether the team’s Bentley spot would become Jeopardy as it could be worth up to $37.5 million.
Editor’s Pick
2 Related
New England then matched the two-year offer sheet of limited free agent linebacker Christian Ellis worth up to $13.5 million to further increase the team’s financial commitment.
The 28-year-old Bentley was scheduled to win $4.35 million in base salary this season. He was also expected to win a $60,000 per game roster bonus and had a $130,000 workout bonus. The team’s voluntary offseason program begins on April 7th.
Under freshman Mike Vrabel, the Patriots are set to adopt a more aggressive defensive scheme, which may have also contributed to the expected release of Bentley, which was considered an ideal fit for the old Bill Belichick/Jerrod Mayonnaise scheme, which placed high value on runstaff linebackers playing the downhill.
Bentley joined New England in 2018 as his fifth draft pick from Purdue. He was the three-time captain of boilermaker history.
