Despite spending the bulk of his time on the Patriots’ practice squad or injured reserve list over the course of the past two seasons, Ross enters the 2021 season with two years of NFL experience under his belt.
The former undrafted free agent has plenty of football experience from his time at Fullerton Junior College and then the University of New Mexico, despite having yet to compete in a non-preseason game at the professional level. He made 49 total appearances during his time at both colleges.
After the 2020 season ended for the Patriots, Ross was signed to a reserve/futures contract. Within the parameters of this one-year agreement, he will get $660,000 in compensation with no assurances of future employment.
However, this pay (which is also his cap hit) is not currently being counted against him because Ross’ contract is not one of the 51 richest on the team. For him to count against New England’s cap, he would need to make the team, the practice squad, or be placed on injured reserve.
The future of Ross’s roster is not drastically different from the past two seasons. In spite of occasional displays of playmaking ability, he is buried at the bottom of the cornerback depth chart and is unlikely to make the squad in the long run.
The 25-year-old will need to compete with and beat out Joejuan Williams, Myles Bryant, Michael Jackson, and Dee Virgin to make the team or earn a spot on the practice squad again.
How Much Does D’Angelo Ross Make?
D’Angelo Ross gets paid an average of $29,331,375 per year. Russell will have a base salary of $31,377,750 and a cap hit of $31,377,750 in 2022-23.