New England Patriots

Injury concerns have reportedly given the Patriots some pause around signing Gabe Jacas's contract.

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Patriots rookie linebacker Gabe Jacas hasn’t been with the team since May and he remains the only unsigned second-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Reiss reported that Jacas had a medical procedure performed on his knee during the offseason. Also, leading up to the draft, Jacas had been dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the NFL Combine and Illinois Pro Day.

These issues have reportedly led to some hesitation on the Patriots’ part.

“His absence is tied, in part, to not being given a standard ‘participation agreement’ from the Patriots, according to a source,” Reiss wrote. “Most draft picks receive such an agreement, which states that if they were to sustain an injury prior to signing their first NFL contract, the team would still be obligated to sign him to a contract based on the slot he was drafted.”

Jacas had his own pro day on April 2, and the Patriots drafted him No. 55 overall during Day 2 of the NFL Draft on April 24. The Patriots traded up to get Jacas, sending picks No. 63, No. 131, and No. 202 to the Los Angeles Chargers on draft night.

The NFL assigns slot values for rookie contracts based on where the player was drafted. The No. 55 slot is worth a total of $8.6 million over four years. The team has a fifth-year option worth significantly more money to the player, should the team choose to exercise it.

Jacas was in Foxborough for rookie minicamp last month, but did not participate. Since then, the Patriots have gone through voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp. Jacas missed both of those sessions.

The knee procedure, which Reiss described as a “clean-up” procedure, isn’t expected to cause Jacas to miss the season. But, with weeks worth of time already missed, there’s a chance Jacas could fall behind.

“As long as he’s a Patriot, he’ll always have a plan for [this] year. Will he be a little bit behind? Yeah. Who wouldn’t?,” Patriots outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said. “As a coach, I coach things different; I’ve got a different mama [approach] than every other OLB or edge coach in the NFL. That’s my job — to try to get him ready to go when his opportunity [comes].”

The Patriots are now off until training camp starts up in late July, following the conclusion of the three-day minicamp.

“Again, he just had to have a procedure, and he is not under contract,” coach Mike Vrabel said last week. “So, we are excited about Gabe, the person that he is, the play style, his production in college and all that.

“So, when that gets resolved, we will have him in here and we will coach him, and I am sure we will find a way for him to help our football team.”