Even though their group of unrestricted free agents was quite big this offseason, the New England Patriots opted to re-sign just two of its members. Tight end Austin Hooper and safety Jaylinn Hawkins were the only UFAs retained by the team.
While the former projects to play a prominent role on offense in 2025, the latter might just do the same on the defensive side of the ball.
Hard facts
Name: Jaylinn Hawkins
Position: Safety/Special teamer
Jersey number: 21
Opening day age: 28 (8/25/1997)
Measurements: 6’0 1/2”, 208 lbs, 31 3/4” arm length, 9 1/2” hand size, 35 1/2” vertical jump, 9’9” broad jump, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Atlanta Falcons (2020-23), Los Angeles Chargers (2023), England Patriots (2024-) | College: California (2015-19)
A four-star wide receiver recruit out of Buena Park High School in Buena Park, CA, Hawkins decided to stay in his home state for his college career and committed to Cal. In Berkeley, he moved to the other side of the ball, becoming a safety who went on to spend five years with the Golden Bears.
In total, Hawkins appeared in 49 games with 39 starts during his college career, and registered 158 tackles, 10 interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a pair of sacks. A honorable All-Pac 12 mention his senior campaign, he entered the draft as a projected late-round pick or rookie free agent.
He didn’t remain on the board that long: the Falcons opted to invest the 134th overall selection in the fourth round to bring him in, quickly installing him as a core special teams presence and backup defender. His role evolved over the subsequent three years, to a point where he became a starting safety before being demoted to a rotational role again.
Following his in-season release from the Falcons in 2023, Hawkins joined the Chargers as a waiver claim. Five months later, he was on the move again: the Patriots signed him to a one-year free agency deal, which allowed him to bring his career totals to 75 games with 32 starts, 4 interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Scouting report
Strengths: Hawkins is a well-built defensive back who has shown that he can hold his own regardless of usage. He is a versatile player who can play deep in two-high shells or even as a solo centerfielder but also move down into the box to help out as a run defender. He combines the processor and necessary sideline-to-sideline range on one hand, with a physical mindset and willingness to throw his body on the line when coming downhill on the other.
He also offers some plus ball skills for a defensive back as well as a feel for route combinations and receiver movement stemming from his time as a wideout. In addition, Hawkins is an able and experienced special teamer.
Weaknesses: Hawkins is a solid-enough athlete but lacks any standout traits that would set him apart from other fringe starters in the NFL. This might also contribute to some of the finishing issues that he has had through his career, whether it was taking advantage of good position in coverage or a lack of ball production.
Furthermore, Hawkins’ physicality and aggressive approach at times comes at a cost. Even though penalties are no concern, his tackling leaves some to be desired. In fact, his consistency in this area has been uneven at all three of his career stops.
2024 review
Stats: 17 games (7 starts) | 612 defensive snaps (54.7%), 306 special teams snaps (70%) | 43 tackles, 7 missed tackles (14%), 3 TFLs | 17 targets, 13 catches allowed (76.5%), 136 yards, 2 TDs | 5 special teams tackles, 1 fumble recovery
Season recap: After he spent the 2023 season with both the Falcons and Chargers, Hawkins joined the Patriots via a one-year, $1.29 million free agency deal. He was brought in to complement New England’s existing safety group, potentially giving the unit more of a traditional free safety to work alongside box types Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and Marte Mapu.
As such, he played a little over half of the team’s defensive snaps and finished the year ranked ninth on the team with a 54.7-percent playing time share; second among all safeties behind only Dugger’s 67.9. As was the case throughout the summer, Hawkins played a free safety role on a majority of his snaps (314; 51.3%). His overall playing time, however, fluctuated throughout the year.
Even though he was one of only three Patriots safeties to be made active for every game — joining depth options Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler — he never managed to become an every-down player or regular starter. As a result, he peaked at a full 100 percent (Week 5 vs. Miami) but also had one game (Week 15 at Arizona) where he saw no defensive snaps at all.
When on the field, though, Hawkins had some positive moments. While no Devin McCourty in deep centerfield, he was a steady presence and helped the Patriots’ otherwise uneven defense limit its losses in the deep passing game: in part due to his play, New England finished seventh in the NFL in pass plays of 20-plus yards given up and tied for ninth in 40-plus-yarders.
Hawkins’ most consistent impact, meanwhile, came in the kicking game. Playing on five units, his 70 percent playing time rate trailed only Brenden Schooler’s 86.5 and Marcellas Dial’s 83.3. He finished with five tackles in the game’s third phase, and recovered a fumble in Week 1 versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
2025 preview
Position: No. 3 safety | Ability: Fringe starter/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2025
What will be his role? Hawkins’ role on the 2025 Patriots projects to be two-fold. He projects as the team’s No. 3 safety alongside Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers; he will be used as a package and situational player who also can move into the starting lineup without skipping much of a beat. In addition to his defensive role, the 27-year-old also once again seems poised for a core special teams role and, as a regular on five units, might finish a second straight season among the team leaders in kicking game snaps.
What is his growth potential? Entering his sixth season in the NFL, Hawkins is at a point in his career where any development is relatively marginal. He still has room for growth in certain areas and it remains to be seen how he will be employed by a new-look coaching staff, but Hawkins is very much established as a player.
Does he have positional versatility? Hawkins fits the Patriots’ mold when it comes to versatile defensive backs. He can play both deep and closer to the line of scrimmage, move into the slot and even split out wide or align on the line of scrimmage as a blitzer. In addition, he is an able and experienced special teamer who played 40-plus snaps on five different units during the 2024 season.
What is his salary cap situation? The Patriots retained Hawkins via a one-year, $1.8 million contract this offseason — the biggest deal of his career as far as its average annual value is concerned. It consists of a partially-guaranteed $1.17 million salary, as well as a $350,000 signing bonus, $255,000 per-game roster bonuses, and $25,000 workout bonus. Besides the signing bonus, $300,000 of his salary is fully guaranteed. Hawkins’ cap number stands at $1.8 million.
How safe is his roster spot? While the Patriots’ gross cap savings ($1.15M) would outweigh his dead cap hit ($650K), Hawkins saw plenty of action with Kyle Dugger limited during offseason workouts and his special teams outlook also works in his favor. Anything can happen between now and the regular season, but Hawkins’ roster spot appears to be relatively safe at the moment.
Summary: Even though re-signing Hawkins in free agency was not a blockbuster move, the Patriots retaining him at a comparatively small cost helped with stability in the secondary as well as in the kicking game. Given his projected role in both those areas, it would not be surprising if he again saw a fairly high total number of snaps as a valuable if somewhat underrated member of the team.
What do you think about Jaylinn Hawkins heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.