New England Patriots - NESN.com
After six seasons apart, Mike Vrabel and Robert Spillane reunited this offseason when the former was hired as the head coach of the New England Patriots and the latter signed with the team in March.
Spillane signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in May 2018, ahead of Vrabel’s first season with the AFC South club and first as an NFL head coach.
The 29-year-old linebacker played just 20 snaps on special teams across two games during his rookie campaign, but now, seven years later, Spillane is an early standout at Patriots training camp.
MassLive’s Mark Daniels wrote on Saturday that the Western Michigan product shined on the fourth day of training camp.
“On Saturday, the veteran linebacker was the star of the Patriots defense and made life difficult for Drake Maye,” Daniels said. “In the first 11-on-11 period, Spillane broke up the quarterback’s first two passes, defending tight end Hunter Henry and receiver DeMario Douglas. As it turns out, he’s also making an impact off the field.”
After his short stay in Tennessee, Spillane spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2019-2022. He finished his Steelers career with 191 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, eight passes defended and 3.0 sacks across 50 regular season games (16 starts), while adding 14 tackles in two playoff contests.
Spillane signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in March 2023 and posted career highs in quarterback hits (four), sacks (3.5) and interceptions (three) that season. He had another big season in 2024 with the Raiders, registering career highs in tackles (158), tackles for loss (10) and passes defended (seven). Spillane’s 158 takedowns were tied for third-most in the NFL last year.
The former Raiders captain joined New England on a three-year, $33 million contract and has “taken a leadership role” in his early days with the Patriots, according to Daniels. The beat writer spoke with linebacker Christian Ellis about Spillane’s impact on the squad.
“Every single time we talk about pre-practice stuff. He’s out here — he’s like a golden retriever. He’s just high energy,” Elliss said, per Daniels. “He’s fun to be around. He’s just someone you love. He’s someone you’d play your heart out for. He’s someone who will bring this defense together.”
Daniels added that the newcomer’s been a “mainstay” in the new coach’s defense since the first open practice.
Now playing under Vrabel again, expectations are high for Spillane in his first year with the Patriots.
