"The Mayo regime signed Jennings, the Patriots' third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, to a three-year rookie extension in the spring of 2024. But it was painfully obvious by the end of Vrabel's first training camp that he wasn't the best scheme fit. Jennings opened the season as a Week 1 healthy scratch, and became a fixture in trade rumors along with Dugger and fellow edge rusher Keion White."
"He carved out a role on kickoffs, and went on to log more snaps on special teams this season than his previous two years combined. Jennings has also seen an uptick in playing time on defense in recent weeks, quietly becoming one of the Patriots' most reliable pass rushers since Week 17. His head coach definitely noticed. Vrabel recognized the 28-year-old in the best way during Friday's final day of preparation for the AFC Championship Game."
Mike Vrabel arrived in Foxboro with a plan that began with reshaping the front office and locker room personnel. The Patriots parted with several Belichick holdovers while many remaining players from prior regimes populated training camp. Fifth-year edge defender Anfernee Jennings initially occupied a gray-area role after signing a three-year rookie extension in spring 2024 and was a Week 1 healthy scratch and trade rumor subject. Jennings carved out a special-teams role, logging more snaps this season than his previous two combined. Jennings received increased defensive snaps since Week 17 and emerged as one of New England's most reliable late-season pass rushers, earning recognition from Vrabel and a playoff captain role.
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