Harold Landry III knew what was on deck well before the voluntary offseason program got underway at Gillette Stadium.
The veteran outside linebacker spent his initial six NFL years alongside the head coach that now resides there. And with Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots, he believes he is in the right place.
“I think the biggest thing that we’re going to pride ourselves on is playing hard, playing fast,” Landry told reporters during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “He really values effort and finish, especially on the defensive side of the ball. You want to see as many hats as you can in the picture at the end of the play around the ball. I think as long as we maintain the style of play that we’re trying to implement here — even if you might not have fit up a run gap perfectly or didn’t play with the greatest technique – that style of play is what’s going to result in wins.”
Taken No. 41 overall in the 2018 NFL draft, Landry had been a member of the Tennessee Titans until March. He appeared in 98 games, including 79 starts, during his tenure with the organization.
Landry tallied 397 tackles, 70 tackles for loss and 50.5 sacks over that span. Along the way arrived one safety, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries as well as two interceptions.
“I pride myself on being versatile and productive,” Landry said. “I want to be a guy that they can move around, but also, they can just keep me on the edge and I can win a one-on-one and I can go and be productive. But I want to be the Swiss Army knife.”
A torn ACL saw the former Pro Bowler miss the 2022 season, yet his second career campaign with double-digit sacks followed in 2023 before Vrabel departed from Nashville. After being released ahead of NFL free agency, Landry reunited on a three-year, $43.5 million contract in Foxborough.
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“He’s meant a lot. He’s played a big role in my development as a player and also as a person,” added Landry. “And I was excited to come back because he knows my skillset, he knows how I operate, and I think throughout my career he and his staff have done a great job of putting me in positions to go out and be productive and help the team.”
The Boston College product’s agreement brings $26 million guaranteed. It also brings Landry into the fold for a familiar defensive staff that is overseen by coordinator Terrell Williams, who served as Tennessee’s defensive line coach and eventual assistant head coach under Vrabel.
That run gave way to a 54-45 record in the regular season and a 2-3 record in the postseason. A pair of AFC South titles and an appearance in the AFC title game were accrued.
“We really valued each other and we played hard for each other,” Landry recalled. “We didn’t want to let each other down. And I think that showed on the film, on the tape. But also, I feel like one of the main jobs for a head coach is to make sure your team is prepared situationally. And all I know is as long as I’ve played for Vrabes, there was never a situation I wasn’t prepared for. Like, I don’t care what the score was in the fourth quarter, I don’t know, we just always had a feeling like we was going to pull this out.”
Landry, who turns 29 in June, stands 5,293 defensive snaps into his run in the league. He led Tennessee’s defense in starts, sacks and tackles for loss last campaign while also tying for the team lead in quarterback hits.
Landry moves forward in New England with cap charges of $8.5 million for 2025, $16.5 million for 2026 and $18.5 million for 2027, according to OverTheCap.com.
“Once I saw how things were going and the writing was on the wall, this was definitely a place that I wanted to be,” Landry said. “I was getting excited about the staff he was putting together, and I just felt like this was the right place for me and I’m excited to be here.”
