The Patriots gave this former undrafted rookie free agent a futures contract this week to compete for a roster spot.
The New England Patriots re-signed cornerback Brandon Crossley on Tuesday after releasing him from the team just a month ago.
In less than a year, Crossley has ridden the highs and lows of being an undrafted rookie free agent, many of which all took place in Foxborough. Corssley signed with the Patriots on May 9th, 2025, out of Southern Methodist University. However, on August 28th, he was released but would sign with the team's practice squad the next day.
The following day, the Patriots would release him once again.
That was not the end of Crossley's journey; the Patriots would bring him back again. Signing the cornerback to the practice squad on November 26th, but then he would be released once more on January 6th. It was a move the Patriots made to make room for Jermiah Pharms Jr. ahead of the Patriots' playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round.
Now, a little over a month later, he is back on the Patriots practice squad. The NFL is a wild career path.
Crossley is no stranger to moving around for the game of football. In college, he started at Colorado State before transferring to SMU, where he played for five seasons. In 54 games at SMU, he had 137 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, six interceptions, 25 passes defended, and two touchdowns.
Crossley's contract with the Patriots is what's called a futures contract. Which means he will be competing for a roster spot in the upcoming season. The soon-to-be second-year player now joins an impressive cornerbacks room with names like Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Charles Woods, Kobee Minor, and Marcellas Dial.
Crossley must have stood out in some sense to the team this season. This week, the eight practice squad contracts for the Patriots expired. The cornerback also joins a list of other players who have signed futures contracts with the Patriots. Those names include RB Elijah Mitchell, TE Marshall Lang, WR Jeremiah Webb, OG Mehki Butler, OG Andrew Rupcich, OT Sebastian Gutierrez, DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr., OT Lorenz Metz, DT Leonard Taylor III, LB Otis Reese, S John Saunders Jr., LB Amari Gainer, and WR John Jiles.
The NFL offseason is about to be in full swing soon with free agency looming, the NFL Combine, and the draft. You have to wonder who will join Crossley and compete against him during training camp.
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