It’s hard to argue with the production from linebacker K.J. Britt – when he's gotten the chance.
Britt, after four seasons in Tampa and last year in Miami, is in a familiar spot with the New England Patriots. After playing 76 games with only 16 starts, the Auburn product, a fifth-round draft pick in 2021, is hunting opportunity.
Hungry to make his mark
“I’ve been hunting since I was five,” said Britt, who signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal with the Patriots in the offseason.
Of course, he was talking about hunting in nature with his father and grandfather. Outside of hunting ball-carriers on the field, hunting rabbits is his favorite.
He's found a home in New England
He will hit training camp in just over two weeks with that same predator’s mentality.
“I’m a football player. What God gifted me with, I’m a football player. I might not be the fastest, I might not be the strongest, but when it comes down to playing football, I can play football,” he said.
In Tampa, Britt was stuck behind a couple of darn good ones in Pro Bowlers Lavonte David and Devin White for much of the time.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
When White moved on in 2024, he got the chance to start 11 games with the Bucs and produced 72 tackles with 40 solos.
Having made just under $5 million in his career, there will be no complacency from Britt as he tries to crack the inside linebacker group that includes Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss.
The Patriots vibe suits him
“This is where I wanted to be. I wanted to come up here and work with guys that are like-minded,” he said. You have some prima donnas in this league. You have some guys who like to play the game because of the fame that comes behind the game.
“You have some guys who love to play the game because it’s a game. They love ball. When you love football, around a lot of guys (loving) football, it’s contagious. It makes you want to step up your game. It makes you want to compete at a different level. How you approach everything is at a different level. I can see that in this building.”
