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New head coach Mike Vrabel must have liked what he saw on tape from one New England Patriots defensive player in 2024, and he\u2019s made sure he\u2019ll be sticking around.<\/p>\n
According to reports, the team has extended defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr., rewarding him with a two-year contract extension.<\/p>\n
Pharms was quietly one of the bright spots on defense last season, appearing in all but one game in 2024.\u00a0 He saw his playing time increase down the stretch and overall finished with 33 tackles, including 4 for a loss, along with two sacks and five quarterback hits in 2024.<\/p>\n
The former Friends University Falcons standout has come a long way during his journey into the NFL.\u00a0 The team did a great piece on him last year, with Pharms talking about how he worked odd jobs from retrieving carts at Walmart in Witchita, Kansas, to working construction, to becoming a substitute teacher.\u00a0 In college, he established himself as a solid player on defense, which he said his mother was responsible for him moving to that side of the ball after he played running back in high school.<\/p>\n
He never gave up, chasing his dream through the USFL before finally getting his shot at the next level, and he clearly made the most of it.<\/p>\n
He credits his mother for his journey and he said that he still seeks her advice to this day.\u00a0 He also said that making it to the NFL wasn\u2019t his only goal.\u00a0 \u00a0Trying to become an impact player now that he\u2019s here is the plan, and that\u2019s what he\u2019s working toward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting closer to where I want to be,\u201d Pharms Jr. said at the time.\u00a0 \u201cMe getting here isn\u2019t the goal.\u00a0 Me being a name in this league is a goal.\u00a0 Me being a great player when I\u2019m done is a goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot to work on, so that\u2019s all I\u2019ve got going.\u00a0 So when I got that phone call, of course I was happy.\u00a0 I lived in the moment, but there\u2019s still work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, his hard work has paid off.\u00a0 Now, his journey continues, and hopefully, good things are ahead for him as the team turns the page under Vrabel in 2025.<\/p>\n
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New head coach Mike Vrabel must have liked what he saw on tape from one New England Patriots defensive player in 2024, and it appears that he’s made sure he’ll be sticking around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n