Fullback Jakob Johnson will not count against the New England Patriots’ 90-man offseason roster limit.
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Patriots have been given a roster exemption for Johnson due to his route to the NFL coming through the league’s International Pathway Program.
Johnson first signed with the Patriots in 2019 after playing for the Stuttgart Scorpions in Germany in 2018. Johnson had played at the University of Tennessee from 2014-17. Johnson was born in Stuttgart and lived in Germany throughout his youth before moving to Florida for his senior year of high school.
Johnson became the first player to make it onto an active roster and appear in a game from the international program in 2019. He appeared in all 16 games for New England last season, starting 11 games and recording eight catches for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson would count against the 53-man active roster should he make the team again this season.