The edge rusher joined the team on a three-year, $43.5 million contract.
The New England Patriots have been quite busy since the start of free agency, bringing a dozen players aboard in hopes of addressing the shortcomings on their roster. Their first big signing, however, happened before the official start of legal tampering last Monday.
Edge defender Harold Landry, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans, was signed to a three-year, $43.5 million contract. The deal reunited Landry with the coach who drafted him, Mike Vrabel, and helped the Patriots bolster one of the shallowest position depth charts on the team.
To do so, New England made a significant commitment. A look at Landry’s contract details as broken down by Over The Cap confirms this.
ED Harold Landry III: Contract details
2025:
Base salary: $3,000,000
Signing bonus: $4,000,000
Roster bonus: $1,275,000
Workout bonus: $225,000
Incentives: $1,500,000
Salary cap hit: $8,500,000
2026:
Base salary: $11,000,000
Signing bonus: $4,000,000
Roster bonus: $1,275,000
Workout bonus: $225,000
Incentives: $1,500,000
Salary cap hit: $16,500,000
2027:
Base salary: $13,000,000
Signing bonus: $4,000,000
Roster bonus: $1,275,000
Workout bonus: $225,000
Incentives: $1,500,000
Salary cap hit: $18,500,000
Mike Vrabel’s new team making his former starting edge a priority in free agency did not come as a surprise; personal connection was valued highly this offseason and Landry has that plus a proven track record of production. The numbers show that the Patriots did not want to leave any doubt about where he would end up after his release from the Titans.
Besides giving Landry a $12 million signing bonus prorated over the length of the deal, the Patriots also guaranteed his salaries for both the 2025 ($3M) and 2026 seasons ($11M). He consequently is a lock to be on the roster for at least the next two seasons, while releasing him in 2027 would also come with a $4 million dead cap charge (albeit against $14.5M in gross savings).
As far as the upcoming season is concerned, Landry will be playing on an $8.5 million salary cap hit that accounts for 2.6 percent of the cap space. This number has him ranked eighth on the team and 34th in a league-wide comparison among edge defenders.
Those numbers are relatively modest, but it is clear that the Patriots are counting on Landry to be a serious contributor for at least the next two seasons. There is reason to be optimistic about the 29-year-old, and Mike Vrabel and company apparently feel the same way.