FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed S Marcus Epps as an unrestricted free agent from Las Vegas, WR Mack Hollins as an unrestricted free agent from Buffalo, re-signed TE Austin Hooper as an unrestricted free agent and signed DT Khyiris Tonga (pronounced – KYE-riss) as an unrestricted free agent from Arizona. Terms of the contracts were not announced.
Epps, 29, is a veteran of six NFL seasons with Minnesota (2019), Philadelphia (2019-22) and Las Vegas (2024). The 6-foot, 195-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (191st overall) by Minnesota in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Wyoming. He played in eight games with Minnesota as a rookie before being released on Nov. 6. Epps was claimed off waivers by Philadelphia, where he finished his rookie campaign. He was signed by Las Vegas as an unrestricted free agent from Philadelphia on March 16, 2023. Overall, he has played in 82 regular season games with 45 starts and has 277 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 18 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 17 special teams tackles. Last season with Las Vegas, Epps was limited to just three games due to injury and finished with 19 total tackles.
Hollins, 31, is a veteran of eight NFL seasons with Philadelphia (2017-19), Miami (2019-21), Las Vegas (2022), Atlanta (2023) and Buffalo (2024). The 6-foot-4, 221-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick (118th overall) by Philadelphia in the 2017 NFL Draft out of North Carolina. He has played in 112 regular season games with 40 starts and has 162 receptions for 2,069 yards and 15 touchdowns. In addition, he has played in six postseason games with two starts and has 6 receptions for 113 yards and 1 touchdown. Last season with Buffalo, he played in 17 games with 13 starts and finished with 31 receptions for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns and played in three postseason games with two starts and added 5 receptions for 104 yards with 1 touchdown.
Hooper, 30, is a veteran of nine NFL seasons with Atlanta (2016-19), Cleveland (2020-21), Tennessee (2022), Las Vegas (2023) and New England (2024). He signed with New England as an unrestricted free agent from Las Vegas on March 14, 2024. The 6-foot-4, 254-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick (81st overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Stanford. A two-time Pro Bowler (2018 and 2019), Hooper has played in 139 games with 76 starts and has registered 409 receptions for 4,178 yards with 28 touchdowns. In addition, he has played in seven postseason games with five starts and has added 19 receptions for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. Since entering the NFL in 2016, his 409 receptions rank sixth in the NFL among tight ends and his 4,178 receiving yards rank seventh. Last season, Hooper played in 17 games with eight starts and finished with 45 receptions for 476 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Tonga, 28, is a veteran of four NFL seasons with Chicago (2021), Minnesota (2022-23) and Arizona (2024). The 6-foot-2, 335-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick (250th overall) by Chicago in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Brigham Young. After being released by Chicago following training camp in 2021, he was signed by Atlanta to the practice squad before being signed by Minnesota to the 53-man roster. Tonga signed with Arizona as an unrestricted free agent on March 15, 2024. Overall, he has played in 53 regular season games with seven starts and has registered 89 total tackles, a half a sack, 4 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery. He has played in one postseason game with 1 assisted tackle. Last season, he played in 13 games with one start for Arizona with 22 total tackles.
