Jennings will enter free agency for the first time in his career.
The New England Patriots are already in the middle of a franchise-altering offseason. They have a new head coach, restructured their front office, and are expected to overhaul their roster from the top down.
Free agency will be a key part of this process. And while adding external players to the mix will undoubtably happen, there are also quite a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. In total, 22 are headed toward the open market this spring and in need of a new contract.
Among them is edge defender Anfernee Jennings, the next player in our free agency profile series.
Hard facts
Name: Anfernee Jennings
Position: Defensive edge/Outside linebacker
Opening day age: 27 (5/1/1997)
Size: 6’3”, 255 lbs
Jersey number: 33
Free agency status: Unrestricted free agent
Experience
Jennings spent his five-year college career at the University of Alabama, appearing in a combined 54 games. In total, the three-year starter registered 15.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide, intercepted a pair of passes, forced three fumbles and recovered two of them, and scored one touchdown. Jennings was named first-team All-SEC in 2019, but eventually was still available in the third round of the draft.
Two season-ending knee injuries suffered in 2017 and 2018 might have played a role in that, but the Patriots were still confident to invest the 87th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to bring him in. However, his career in New England started off rather slowly: Jennings was relatively quiet his rookie year before missing the entirety of his sophomore campaign.
He managed to develop nicely from Year 3 on, though. He was a valuable contributor on defense and special teams in 2022 before a breakout campaign of sorts in 2023.
In total, Jennings has a combined 45 games on his career résumé. He registered 113 tackles as well as 3.0 sacks and one forced fumble and recovery each.
2023 review
Stats: 15 games (14 starts) | 677 defensive snaps (59.5%), 93 special teams snaps (20.3%) | 65 tackles, 11 missed tackles (14.5%), 1 fumble recovery | 21 quarterback pressures (1.5 sacks, 2 hits, 17 hurries) | 17 targets, 15 catches (100%), 133 yards
Season recap: The 2022 season was Jennings’ best to date and he was able to establish himself as a serious rotational option on the edge alongside Matthew Judon and Josh Uche. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, the belief was that this usage would continue: even with the club drafting versatile Keion White in the second round, Jennings has proven his value as a rotational defender and special teamer.
The first two weeks of the regular season, however, saw the Alabama product sit on the sidelines throughout. Despite not carrying any injury designation, Jennings was declared inactive for the Patriots’ games against Philadelphia and Miami to start the year.
When he did make his debut in Week 3 against the New York Jets, he immediately picked up where he left off the following year. Jennings looked solid as an early-down defender, a role he would expand upon over the remainder of the season.
The main reason for that, however, was only partially his own performance. One week after his first game of the season, after all, Judon suffered a biceps injury that turned out to be of the season-ending variety. As a consequence, the Patriots elevated Jennings to a starter-level spot in their edge rotation — and he never looked back.
Jennings went on to start the final 13 games of the season, never dipping below a 55 percent playing time share in any of those contests. And while his statistical impact on the passing game was comparatively minor, he was able to adequately fill the void created by Judon’s departure on early downs: the fourth-year man was a disruptive run defender who finished with 53 run game tackles and a forced fumble.
Of those tackles, 13 resulted in a loss of yardage. That was not just the highest number on the team versus the run, but tying the league lead together with Cleveland’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and New York’s Quincy Williams.
His run game contributions stood out, but it’s not like Jennings had no impact on the passing game. His 21 total pressures ranked fifth on the team, while his 1.4 disruptions per contest ranked fourth.
In addition, Jennings continued to be heavily involved in the kicking game as well. While his snap number decreased from 36.1 to 20.3 percent, he still saw action on four units and was a regular on the kickoff return and the field goal/extra point blocking squads.
Free agency preview
What is his contract history? Jennings’ contract history is pretty straight forward. He signed a standard four-year rookie deal in New England upon his arrival as a third-round draft selection in 2020 that carried a total value of $4.5 million. Despite missing his entire 2021 season, he was able to earn that full amount.
Which teams might be in the running? About half the NFL would benefit from bolstering its edge depth, and the Patriots are part of this list. Needless to say that Jennings might get a close look from several teams including the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams.
Why should he be expected back? Jennings’ numbers may not pop off the stat sheet, especially his relatively modest pass rushing production in today’s NFL. That being said, the Patriots have always valued players’ abilities to excel in set roles; in Jennings’ case being disciplined on the edge on early downs as a pass rusher but especially versus the run. His productivity in that area will likely be highly regarded in New England even after the team’s change at head coach and (quasi-)general manager.
Why should he be expected to leave? It only takes one team to value Jennings differently than the Patriots for him to depart; the NFL is a bottom-line business and loyalties can change quickly if there is a significant contractual difference between two teams. As for the fourth-year man specifically, New England might be more hesitant to pay him given his relative one-dimensionality and the fact it took a Matthew Judon injury for him to finally crack the starting lineup.
What is his projected free agency outcome? Jennings has shown he can be a productive player for the Patriots, albeit more against the run than the pass. This, in turn, might lead to a somewhat muted market when it comes to his services — something that could very well play into New England’s hands. The projection, therefore, is that the team will bring him back on a relatively modest three-year, $17 million contract.
What do you think about Anfernee Jennings heading into free agency? Should he be treated as a priority? What makes sense as a contract offer? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.
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