Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots linebacker heading into his eighth NFL season.
Typically a strength for the New England Patriots year in and year out, the linebacker position disappointed during the team’s generally underwhelming 2024 season. Once starter Ja’Whaun Bentley was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 2, the group as a whole and most of its members individually began to struggle.
But even though Bentley was the apparent glue to hold them all together, the Patriots under new head coach Mike Vrabel decided to part ways with the longtime starter and team captain. His role as the leader both on and off the field, however, has already been filled: free agency signing Robert Spillane will be the team’s LB1 in 2025 and beyond.
Name: Robert Spillane
Position: Off-ball linebacker
Jersey number: 14
Opening day age: 29 (12/14/1995)
Measurements: 6’1 1/4”, 229 lbs, 32 1/2” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.77s 40-yard dash, 32. 1/2” vertical jump, 9’2” broad jump, 7.13s 3-cone drill, 4.40s short shuttle, 10 bench press reps, 1.96 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: Tennessee Titans (2018), Pittsburgh Steelers (2019-22), Las Vegas Raiders (2023-24), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Western Michigan (2014-17)
The grandson John Lattner, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1953 at Notre Dame, Spillane was a two-way player at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL. Even though he was initially recruited as a running back rather than a linebacker, he committed to defense full time quickly after arriving at Western Michigan. He never looked back and became a highly productive player in his four years with the Broncos.
Nonetheless, the two-time All-MAC selection did not hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft. Spillane instead entered the league as a free agent with Mike Vrabel’s Titans, for whom he appeared in just two games before getting cut in October of his rookie campaign. It took him until the following February to find a new club, but once he did his career began trending in a positive direction.
Initially a core special teamer, he also steadily increased his defensive role over his four seasons with the Steelers. During that time, he registered a combined 191 tackles as well as a trio of sacks and one interception returned for a touchdown. Even though he was still primarily a role player, Spillane managed to become a valuable player for Pittsburgh — one who turned his performance in the AFC North into a two-year, $7 million contract with the Raiders.
That deal turned out to be a steal for the team. Spillane, after all, started all 34 games over his two seasons in Las Vegas and rarely left the field; the starting linebacker finished his Raiders tenure with a defensive playing time share of 97.7 percent (2,196 of 2,248) and led the club in tackles both seasons, totaling 306 of them.
In March of 2025, he signed his biggest contract yet: a three-year, $33 million deal to reunite with Mike Vrabel in...
