The New England Patriots and long snapper Joe Cardona have reportedly agreed on a new four-year deal.
Former Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty broke the news on Thursday with ESPN’s Mike Reiss providing the contractual details.
Cardona, a former fifth-round draft pick, has been with the Patriots since 2015. There was hope that a deal would get done at some point. Specialists aren’t easily replaced, especially those that have played as well as Cardona has over the years for New England.
So it made sense for the team to go ahead and lock him down for another four years. As McCourty pointed out, Cardona is the second longest-tenured player in the Patriots locker room behind legendary special teamer Matthew Slater.
Scoop from Jason!
This is a four-year deal with a $1 million signing bonus, which was an important marker for Joe Cardona — one of the team's NFL Players Association reps — to clear. https://t.co/lfy0avYIGb
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 16, 2023
Aside from losing Jakobi Meyers, New England has done a tremendous job of keeping their 2022 roster intact so far in free agency. Cardona can now be counted as one of the players on that growing list of returning Patriots.