PROVO, Utah, March 12, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Sione Takitaki is saying goodbye to the Cleveland Browns and continuing his NFL career with the New England Patriots.
The former BYU linebacker has agreed to a two-year deal with the Patriots that will pay him $6.5 million and up to $10 million with incentives, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Takitaki, 28, confirmed the deal with a goodbye message to Browns fans and the organization that drafted him on his Instagram page Tuesday.
“Just want to thank the city of Cleveland and the Browns organization for the last 5 years,” the post says. “Thank you for excepting me and my family with open arms. Built bonds that will last a lifetime. Forever love!!”
The 6-foot-1, 238-pound linebacker is entering his sixth NFL season. He’s played in 72 career games, making 36 starts and totaling 269 tackles and four sacks.
Takitaki posted a 72% coverage success rate last season, which ranks No. 1 among linebackers with at least 25 targets, according to Next Gen Stats. That success should be welcome in New England, where none of the linebackers who saw a minimum of 15 targets last season had a coverage rate higher than 50%.
Takitaki finished his final season in Cleveland with 66 tackles (37 solo) and a career-high two sacks.
The Browns selected Takitaki in the third round (80th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He played 38 games at BYU from 2015 to 2018 and had a breakout senior season, finishing with 118 total tackles — including 9.5 tackles for loss — and three sacks.
The Fontana, California, native was named to the All-Independent Team and was a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year in 2018.
