Typically a strength for the New England Patriots year in and year out, the linebacker position disappointed during the team’s generally underwhelming 2024 season. Once starter Ja’Whaun Bentley was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 2, the group as a whole and most of its members individually began to struggle.
But even though Bentley was the apparent glue to hold them all together, the Patriots under new head coach Mike Vrabel decided to part ways with the longtime starter and team captain. His role as the leader both on and off the field, however, has already been filled: free agency signing Robert Spillane will be the team’s LB1 in 2025 and beyond.
Hard facts
Name: Robert Spillane
Position: Off-ball linebacker
Jersey number: 14
Opening day age: 29 (12/14/1995)
Measurements: 6’1 1/4”, 229 lbs, 32 1/2” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.77s 40-yard dash, 32. 1/2” vertical jump, 9’2” broad jump, 7.13s 3-cone drill, 4.40s short shuttle, 10 bench press reps, 1.96 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tennessee Titans (2018), Pittsburgh Steelers (2019-22), Las Vegas Raiders (2023-24), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Western Michigan (2014-17)
The grandson John Lattner, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1953 at Notre Dame, Spillane was a two-way player at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL. Even though he was initially recruited as a running back rather than a linebacker, he committed to defense full time quickly after arriving at Western Michigan. He never looked back and became a highly productive player in his four years with the Broncos.
Nonetheless, the two-time All-MAC selection did not hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft. Spillane instead entered the league as a free agent with Mike Vrabel’s Titans, for whom he appeared in just two games before getting cut in October of his rookie campaign. It took him until the following February to find a new club, but once he did his career began trending in a positive direction.
Initially a core special teamer, he also steadily increased his defensive role over his four seasons with the Steelers. During that time, he registered a combined 191 tackles as well as a trio of sacks and one interception returned for a touchdown. Even though he was still primarily a role player, Spillane managed to become a valuable player for Pittsburgh — one who turned his performance in the AFC North into a two-year, $7 million contract with the Raiders.
That deal turned out to be a steal for the team. Spillane, after all, started all 34 games over his two seasons in Las Vegas and rarely left the field; the starting linebacker finished his Raiders tenure with a defensive playing time share of 97.7 percent (2,196 of 2,248) and led the club in tackles both seasons, totaling 306 of them.
In March of 2025, he signed his biggest contract yet: a three-year, $33 million deal to reunite with Mike Vrabel in New England.
Scouting report
Strengths: Spillane is a dependable second-level player who combines a quick processor and high football IQ with disciplined eyes and the ability as well as the experience to serve as a leading communicator. In general, he is a tone-setter at the heart of a defense not just due to his high motor and natural leadership skills, but also because he is playing a physical brand of football and is not afraid to take on blockers or initiate contact.
As a run defender, Spillane is not easily fooled by misdirection and has an advanced understanding of blocking schemes and how to position himself relative to what the offense wants to do. This allows him to shoot downhill quickly and fill gaps with a purpose, while also preventing him from getting lost in traffic. His high tackle numbers in his two seasons as a starter are not a coincidence: he usually finds the ball carrier without much effort, and can be trusted to finish his tackles with proper wrap-up technique.
Spillane is an instinctual blitzer who times his get-off well and does a good job challenging running backs’ balance. Using his smaller stature relative to traditional off-ball ‘backer types to his advantage, he plays the leverage game well when charging downfield. He also has shown an ability to attack the pocket both from deep, as a gap-mugger, and occasionally from the edge. Comfortable regardless of his alignment, he can focus on locating and attacking the ball — something he has done regularly the past two years.
Weaknesses: Not the most naturally gifted athlete, Spillane lacks the standout traits to be a true all-purpose linebacker. While running hot in backside pursuit, he does not have the straight-line speed or range to be a reliable clean-up defender in that regard. Making matters worse from that particular perspective is his rather average lower-body flexibility; Spillane is not the smoothest mover when asked to defend laterally or roll his hips to drop back.
As a result, he is nowhere close to being a top-tier coverage linebacker. His read-and-react skills and understanding of offenses allows him to make up for some of his shortcomings, but those still exist and can force him into disadvantageous situations. He simply is not the type of athlete to trust in 1-on-1 man coverage against tight ends or running backs on a down-to-down basis. The same is true as a passer rusher, where he can run hot and cold at times.
2024 review
Stats: 17 games (17 starts) | 1,095 defensive snaps (98.2%) | 158 tackles, 10 missed tackles (6.0%), 10 TFLs | 65 targets, 55 catches surrendered (84.6%), 572 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs | 13 quarterback pressures (2 sacks, 1 hit, 10 hurries) | 1 penalty
Season recap: Coming off the most productive season of his NFL career, Spillane showed that he was not a one-year wonder in 2024. Starting all 17 of the Raiders’ games and playing a career-best 98.2 percent of defensive snaps (1,095 of 1,115), he served as the team’s top off-the-ball linebacker as well as what can best be described as the quarterback of the defense.
A team captain, he was calling the shots as the on-field signal caller and responsible for making sure coordinator Patrick Graham’s multiple defense was properly run. His importance before the snap was immense, but ultimately equal to his importance after.
Spillane showcased his trademark high motor and ability to make plays on the ball carrier on a week-to-week basis, finishing the season with 158 tackles including 91 solo takedowns and 10 combined tackles for loss. Only two other players in the NFL — Zaire Franklin (173) and Budda Baker (164) — finished the season with more total tackles than Spillane.
There really is not much more to say about Spillane’s 2024 campaign. He was his usual reliable self compared to his first season in Las Vegas, and thus setting himself up for what would become a lucrative free agency period for him.
2025 preview
Position: Starting Mike linebacker | Ability: Quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? With Ja’Whaun Bentley no longer part of the team, Spillane is set to replace the veteran as the top off-the-ball linebacker on the team as well as a leader in the locker room. He will rarely leave the field while also playing an important role as an on-field communicator. The expectation is that he will wear the green dot as the defensive signal caller.
What is his growth potential? Entering his eighth season, Spillane has pretty much established himself as a player in the NFL. His potential for growth is therefore relatively marginal, especially considering that his weaknesses are primarily related to his athletic skills rather than his processing or technique.
Does he have positional versatility? Even though Spillane is a three-down defender and can line up in all three linebacker spots — Mike (middle), Will (weakside), Sam (strongside) — he is not the most naturally versatile player. He is better coming downhill from the second level particularly versus the run, for example, than dropping back into coverage. He does have an extensive special teams background (758 career snaps) but was given only limited kicking game reps over his two seasons as a starter in Las Vegas.
What is his salary cap situation? One of the Patriots’ marquee free agency signings earlier this offseason, Spillane is carrying a cap hit of $9 million into 2025. That number consists of $6.3 million in full guarantees — a $3.3 million base salary plus a $3 million signing bonus proration — as well as $1.02 million in per-game roster bonuses. Spillane’s deal also includes a $180,000 workout bonus and $1.5 million in incentives classified as likely to be earned.
How safe is his roster spot? Considering his projected role as well as his compensation, Spillane is a lock to make the Patriots’ roster in 2025. Whether or not he will play 95-plus percent of defensive snaps for a third straight year remains to be seen, but there is no denying he will be a key piece of the puzzle for his new team.
Summary: Spillane may not be a household name, and he does have some limitations despite his impressive production as a starter. That said, there is no denying his ability to have a positive impact on New England’s new-look defense and serve as the foundational player both on and off the field that he was signed to be.
What do you think about Robert Spillane heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.