FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed free agent quarterback Chris Redman, offensive tackle Jeff Roehl, wide receiver Jake Schifino and tight end Joel Jacobs to future contracts today. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed. The four players will join the team when the NFL roster limit expands to 80 players next month. Jacobs will be allocated to the NFL Europe League for its 2005 season.
Redman, 27, will enter his fifth NFL season in 2005 after spending the 2004 season out of football. The 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pound signal caller spent four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens from 2000-03 and played in 10 games with six starts. His career statistics include 106 completions on 198 attempts for 1,111 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Redman also owns a 71.3 career passer rating and a 3-3 record as a starting quarterback. The former Louisville standout was drafted in the third round (75th overall) by the Ravens in the 2000 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 2000, Redman served as the third quarterback on the Ravens' Super Bowl XXXV championship team. He spent the following season as Baltimore's third quarterback before earning the starting job to open the 2002 season. The Louisville, Ky. native started the first six games of the 2002 season before missing the remainder of the year due to injury. Redman's pre-injury totals that season included seven touchdowns and just three interceptions, while leading Baltimore to a 3-1 record in his final four starts. Redman spent the 2004 season out of football following a 2003 season in which he served as Baltimore's backup quarterback.
Roehl, 24, will enter his second NFL season in 2005 after spending the 2004 season out of football. The 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound lineman spent the 2003 season with the New York Giants, where he played in 12 games with two starts as a rookie. Roehl was originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2003. He made the team out of training camp and started two games at left tackle for New York. The Northwestern product was waived by the Giants on June 2, 2004 and was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks. He was with the Seahawks for their 2004 training camp with Seattle before being released in the final roster cutdown on Sept. 5, 2004.
Schifino, 25, will enter his fourth NFL season in 2005 after spending his first three seasons as a member of the Tennessee Titans. The 6-foot-1-inch, 201-pound receiver was drafted by the Titans in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. In his time in Tennessee, he played in 14 games and returned 35 kickoffs for 703 yards (20.1 avg). The Akron product missed his rookie season on injured reserve, and then developed into a role as the Titans' primary kickoff returner in 2003. He played in one game for Tennessee in 2004 before being waived on Oct. 5.
Jacobs, 24, will spend the spring of 2005 playing in NFL Europe. The 6-foot-3-inch, 250-pound tight end was signed by the Patriots on Aug. 17, 2004 and played in two preseason games before being released on Sept. 3. The Nebraska-Kearney product was originally signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent on June 2, 2004 and was waived by St. Louis on July 16, 2004.
