Patriots 90-Man Roster Spotlight: Anfernee Jennings, Core Player

The New England Patriots can have up to 90 players under contract during the offseason. Patriots Football Now will profile all 90 players over the upcoming weeks. Today’s featured player is offensive lineman Anfernee Jennings.

Anfernee Jennings

The New England Patriots selected Jennings in the third round (No. 87 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. He played collegiately for the Alabama Crimson Tide, He appeared in 54 games across four seasons, recording 193 tackles (98 solo), 33 tackles for a loss, 18 passes defended, 14.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He helped Alabama win two National Championships (2015, 2017).

As a rookie in 2020, Jennings began his NFL career during the “COVID season.” With Dont’a Hightower sitting out the year and Kyle Van Noy signing with Miami in the offseason, Jennings received immediate playing time. He played in 14 games, starting four. However, before he could make a “second-year leap” for New England, he was placed on season-ending IR before the 2021 season with an undisclosed injury.

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Instead of 2021 being a wasted year for Jennings, it helped him develop into the contributor he would become.

“We had a lot of veteran guys in the room that kind of took the time to break the game down to me, slow the game down from more of a mental side of it,” Jennings explained about his 2021 season. “I had a lot of veteran guys around me, and they kept me motivated and kept me in tune with football. That helped me out a lot.”

Jennings returned in 2022 to play in 16 games with three starts. He bested his rookie totals with 27 tackles (15 solo), 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Last season marked a breakout season for Anfernee Jennings. New England made him a healthy inactive for the first two games of the season but he made the most of his opportunities when given the chance to get in the lineup. He played the final 15 games of the season. His performance earned him the 2023 Gino Cappelletti Award as the Unsung Hero of the Patriots.

Pro Football Focus gave Jennings a 73.9 grade for his 2023 performance. It marked a significant improvement from the 63.4 he received the year before.

Contract Status

Anfernee Jennings signed a three-year contract with the New England Patriots this offseason. His deal is for $12 million with a maximum value of $24 million.

It’s a 3-year, $12M deal, source says, with a max value of $24M. https://t.co/4DW1z29S1I

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2024

Eliot Wolf stated part of the “Packer Way” in New England was drafting, developing, and extending core players. They extended four members of their 2020 NFL Draft class this offseason. Anfernee Jennings, Kyle Dugger, Mike Onwenu, and Joshua Uche all re-upped to stay in New England this offseason. For the first three, their deals are all run through at least the 2026 season.

The production increase for Jennings in 2023 was significant. He totaled 47 tackles (25 solo), and one tackle for a loss in 30 career games before last season. In 2023, Jenning recorded 66 tackles (49 solo), and 14 TFL. He tied Maxx Crosby of the Raiders for most run stops among edge defenders (38). He also tied the Chargers’ Khalil Mack for second in tackles for a loss or no gain (15). Both Crosby and Mack made the Pro Bowl.

The contract extension and trade of Matthew Judon are both indications that Anfernee Jennings will continue to play a significant role for the New England Patriots for the foreseeable future. He has looked excellent in preseason thus far and few edge defenders across the entire league have shown the ability to set a better edge. If his improvement continues on as significant a path as it did a year ago, the sky’s the limit.