Meet the Newest New England Patriot: Sione Takitaki

Sione Takitaki is set to become the newest member of the New England Patriots. According to reports, the former Cleveland Brown is headed to Foxboro. The agreement is on a reported two-year $6.5 million deal.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss was the first to report.

The Browns selected the 6-foot-1, 238-pound linebacker in the third round (No. 80 overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft out of BYU. That was Eliot Wolf‘s final draft in Cleveland’s front office before leaving for New England. Wolf’s job title was assistant general manager at the time.

In five seasons with the Browns, Takitaki appeared in 75 games with 39 starts, including postseason. He registered career highs in 2023 with 45 solo tackles, 2.0 sacks, and three passes defended.

In addition to Wolf, several current Patriots staff members were with the Browns during Takitaki’s time there. This includes executive Alonzo Highsmith, and offensive coaches Scott Van Pelt, T.C. McCartney, and Scott Peters. He was teammates in Cleveland with current New England players Daniel Ekuale, Jabrill Peppers, and Jacoby Brissett. He also played with pending free agent tight end Pharaoh Brown.

Sione Takitaki signing with the New England Patriots helps offset the loss earlier in the day of Mack Wilson Sr. (another of Takitaki’s former Browns teammates). He joins a linebacker group that features Matthew Judon, Jahlani Tavai, Raekwon McMillan, and Joe Giles-Harris. Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings remained unsigned free agents from the 2023 team.