Jack Gibbens leaves Patriots to sign 2-year deal with Cardinals

Foxborough, MA — The New England Patriots will enter the 2026 season without one of their most dependable defenders and special-team stalwarts. Linebacker Jack Gibbens, who led the club with 357 special-teams snaps and finished fourth with 90 total tackles in 2025, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced Monday night.

The move became possible last week when New England declined to tender Gibbens as a restricted free agent, allowing the 27-year-old to hit the open market. Arizona moved quickly, securing the services of a player who appeared in all 21 regular-season and postseason games for the Patriots a year ago.

An undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota, Gibbens spent his first three NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans before joining New England in the 2024 offseason. The Titans had faced a similar decision a year earlier, opting not to tender him as an exclusive-rights free agent.

In New England, Gibbens evolved into a core-four special-teamer and a trusted rotational linebacker. He started 10 games when Robert Spillane was unavailable, handled the defensive play-calling duties in those contests, and logged 604 defensive snaps—47 percent of the team’s total, 11th-most on the roster. His 10 special-teams tackles tied for fifth on the club.

The Patriots now hold seven off-ball linebackers, headlined by Spillane and Christian Elliss. Newcomer K.J. Britt, signed to a one-year deal in March, is expected to compete for Gibbens’ former reps on defense and in the kicking game.