After spending months on the open market, veteran safety Adrian Colbert is signing with the Patriots, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. New England will be Colbert's fourth NFL stop after being selected by the 49ers in the seventh round in the 2017 draft.
The 27-year-old has tallied 19 starts in 33 career regular-season games. He spent his first two years with the 49ers before spending one season apiece with the Dolphins and Giants. Injuries limited Colbert to just six games during his lone season in New York. For his career, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Colbert has 93 tackles, eight passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Colbert joins a Patriots' secondary that includes fellow safeties Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Cody Davis, Kyle Dugger and rookie Joshuah Bledsoe. New England is in the process of replacing longtime starting strong safety Patrick Chung, who retired earlier this offseason.
Colbert is the seventh player who is represented by Drew Rosenhaus to join the Patriots this offseason. That list includes offensive tackle Trent Brown, tight end Jonnu Smith, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and cornerback Jalen Mills. New England receiver Jakobi Meyers joined Rosenhaus' list of clients last month. Other Patriots who are represented by Rosenhaus include cornerback J.C. Jackson and linebacker Josh Uche.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the Patriots are bringing back running back Tyler Gaffney, who won two Super Bowls during his first stint in New England. Gaffney, who has dealt with various injuries during his career, took a one-year sabbatical from football to play baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system before joining the 49ers' practice squad late in the 2020 season.