The New England Patriots re-signed ERFA cornerback Alex Austin to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
Another one of the New England Patriots’ pending free agents is set to return to the team before the official start of the offseason next week. On Wednesday cornerback Alex Austin signed his free agent tender, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
As an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA), the Patriots were able to apply a tender to Austin to prevent him from hitting the open market. The contract is a one-year deal worth the league minimum for Austin. Players qualify as ERFAs if their contract expires when they have two or fewer accrued NFL seasons.
Austin, 23, signed with the Patriots late in his rookie season in 2023 after stops with the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. He played well down the stretch that year, and then returned in 2024. In total he’s played 14 games for the Patriots, recording seven pass breakups and an interception.
Last season Austin missed most of the beginning of the year due to an ankle injury, but ended up playing in nine games with three starts. He was on the field for 39% of the team’s defensive snaps for the whole year, as well as 35 percent of the special teams snaps.
Heading into 2025, Austin projects to compete for a boundary cornerback spot opposite Christian Gonzalez. Other cornerbacks currently on the roster are Marcus Jones, Isaiah Bolden, Marcellas Dial, and Miles Battle with D.J. James on a futures contract. Jonathan Jones is a pending free agent. The Patriots are also expected to be in the market for a starting cornerback both in free agency and the NFL Draft.
With Austin’s deal done the Patriots have now re-signed all five of their ERFAs this offseason. They currently are set to have nine unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents when free agency begins next week. You can find the full list of those players here.