Former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel has been elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame by a fan vote, the team announced Wednesday.
Vrabel will become the 34th member of the Patriots Hall of Fame. He was one of three finalists for this year’s honor, along with former head coach Bill Parcells and offensive guard Logan Mankins. Vrabel will be enshrined with former offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia at a later date and time to be determined.
Over his eight seasons in New England, Vrabel won three Super Bowls and was named to one All-Pro team and one Pro Bowl. He started 110 of 125 regular-season games, recording 148 sacks, 55 tackles for loss, 13 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions. Vrabel also provided several clutch performances in the playoffs, notching six sacks and catching touchdown passes in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX as a goal-line tight end.
Vrabel’s part-time role on offense – which resulted in 10 career touchdown receptions – captured his career as one of the toughest and most versatile players in the early years of the Bill Belichick era.
“Mike’s leadership and versatility were principal to one of the most successful eras in franchise history, propelling the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles in four years and establishing multiple NFL records for consecutive-game win streaks. Many Patriots players have made contributions in all three phases of the game, but none more significantly than Mike,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “He was an eight-year starter on defense who also regularly contributed on special teams and is the only player in NFL history to score touchdowns on his first 10 career receptions, including touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowl victories.
“He was respected for his football intellect and was destined to become a head coach in this league. I look forward to welcoming him back to New England, where his induction will preserve his legacy as one of the greatest players in franchise history.”
The Patriots originally signed Vrabel as a free agent in 2001. The team won Super Bowls in three of the next four seasons and reached the Super Bowl again in 2007, Vrabel’s penultimate season with the team. He was traded to the Chiefs ahead of the 2009 season and finished his career with two years in Kansas City.
Vrabel is the eighth three-time Super Bowl champion to enter the Patriots Hall of Fame after Troy Brown (2012), Tedy Bruschi (2013), Kevin Faulk (2016), Ty Law (2014), Matt Light (2018), Willie McGinest (2015) and Richard Seymour (2022).
JETS: New York is expected to sign veteran wide receive Randall Cobb to a one-year contract, according to ESPN. The deal is not complete, but it is expected to be finalized soon.
Once the Cobb signing is complete, he will be the fifth former Packers player to sign with the Jets this offseason, joining quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Allen Lazard, quarterback Tim Boyle and tackle Billy Turner. Gang Green also added offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021.
Adding Cobb isn’t a surprise as the Jets were looking to add another wide receiver. Also, Cobb and Rodgers have a close relationship. He was one of the names the 39-year-old superstar quarterback recommended to the Jets when he met with them in California in March before he was traded to the team last week. Odell Beckham Jr. was also on the list, but he signed a one-year deal with the Ravens as he will receive $15 million guaranteed.
Cobb will join a Jets receiver corps that features Lazard, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, Denzel Mims and Mecole Hardman.
JACKSON MAHOMES, the brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was booked into jail Wednesday on aggravated sexual battery charges over an alleged altercation at a Kansas restaurant in late February.
Jackson Mahomes, 22, was charged Tuesday in Johnson County, Kansas, with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of battery. He was being held on $100,000 bond. During a brief virtual court appearance Wednesday, the judge scheduled the next online hearing for May 11.
Under conditions of his bond, Jackson Mahomes won’t be allowed to discuss his case publicly.
The probable cause affidavit in the case was not immediately available. But The Kansas City Star reported that police previously confirmed they were investigating a Feb. 25 incident involving Jackson Mahomes at a restaurant in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas.
Jackson Mahomes’ attorney, Brandan Joseph Davies, said in a statement that the court prohibited him and his client from commenting. But he released a statement in March, when the allegations first surfaced, saying there was “substantial evidence refuting the claims of Jackson’s accuser,” The Star reported.
TEXANS: Houston is signing veteran tight end Eric Tomlinson. The 31-year-old tight end has played for eight different franchises during his career and this marks his second stint in Houston.
The Patriots were one of four franchises Tomlinson was with during the 2019 season, appearing in two games in New England and catching one pass. The Patriots signed Tomlinson on Oct. 15 and cut him two weeks later. Tomlinson was brought in as extra depth.
Tomlinson appeared in 17 games last season in Denver (including 12 starts) and caught a career-high nine passes for 79 yards. He also caught two of his three career touchdown masses that year.
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