Ellington's one-year, $895,000 deal with the Patriots includes $25,000 guaranteed, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Once the Patriots were outbid for slot man Adam Humphries, they turned to lower-cost fliers on Ellington and Maurice Harris ($90,000 guaranteed). Ellington hauled in 31 passes for 224 yards and a score in seven games in 2018, suiting up in four contests with the Lions and three with the Texans. If Ellington can stay healthy, he can push for a slot role behind Julian Edelman, as well as potentially help out in the return game. Given the terms of his new deal, Ellington isn't a lock to make the Patriots' season-opening roster, but his experience playing under a pair of coaches with previous ties to New England in Bill O'Brien (Houston) and Matt Patricia (Detroit) should give the 27-year-old a bit of a leg up in terms of familiarity with his new team's system.