How Gabe Jacas' brother turned a long shot into a Patriots pass rusher

The Patriots edge rusher recognized play action when Aaron Rodgers faked a handoff, pivoted quickly and came screaming upfield. Jacas arrived faster than Rodgers expected, belting the the 42-year-old to the turf and forcing an incompletion.

On his second defensive snap in Foxborough, the rookie had put a future Hall of Famer on the ground. Jacas then helped Rodgers up, and the two exchanged helmet taps. In the crowd, Khaliq Jacas smiled.

"It's exciting to see for sure, but it's not a surprise on my end," said Khaliq, Gabe's older brother. "(It's not) like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe he's doing this.' I knew he was gonna do it."

But not long ago, Khaliq was the only one who envisioned his younger brother as an NFL player — including Gabe himself.

As a chubby offensive lineman at 15 on Florida's Treasure Coast, Gabe never pictured his football career lasting beyond high school. Everything changed when Khaliq came home from college after Gabe's sophomore year. He saw more in his little brother. He saw greatness that just needed to be cultivated.

"Him having that vision, he brought that out of me," Gabe said. "He demanded that out of me because he saw it before I did. ...He didn't just let me be a waste."

Khaliq became a father figure, a coach and his best friend.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is sacked by New England Patriots linebacker Gabe Jacas (50) during the first half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

When Khaliq returned home after graduating from Florida International University in 2020, something about Gabe had changed.

His kid brother's baby fat was beginning to melt off, replaced by lean muscle. He stood taller. Looking him in the eye, Khaliq saw a young man brimming with potential.

Khaliq was the eldest of four children, seven years older than Gabe. First-generation Americans with Jamaican roots, they were raised by their mother, Paula Henry, who worked as a registered nurse. Their father wasn't a consistent presence in their lives.

Khaliq had NFL dreams of his own that didn't come to fruition.

He began his collegiate career at ASA College, a JUCO in Hialeah, Florida. Then he made the leap to FIU for three seasons, where he was a 6-foot-2, 230-pound edge rusher and struggled to crack the lineup. After finishing school and heading back to Port St. Lucie, he'd come to grips with the fact that professional football wasn't going to happen for him.

Though he wasn't able to realize his own childhood dream, Khaliq had the blueprint now: A firsthand knowledge of how Division I football programs operate. He decided to pour everything he'd discovered into Gabe's future.

"I had aspirations, but with me, I was always a step behind. I never had the right guidance," Khaliq said. "So everything I learned, the do's and the don'ts, I made sure that Gabe was put in the best position possible."

He gave his brother a crash course in things he'd learned at FIU. He showed Gabe how to watch film and taught him how valuable proper nutrition would be. Khaliq told Gabe that natural ability might be enough to excel in high school, but if he wanted to be truly great, he needed to do more.

Khaliq also had a suggestion: Maybe it was time to flip from offensive line to the defensive side of the ball. Gabe was beginning to look like a dangerous edge rusher. Khaliq taught him pass rush moves and how to bend.

After a summer of training, it was time to take things up a notch.

Khaliq and Gabe Jacas at the University of Illinois (Courtesy: Khaliq Jacas)Khaliq Jacas

When Khaliq vowed to be there for Gabe, it meant he was always going to be there.

Khaliq is now a real estate agent, but he put that career on hold after college. Fort Pierce Central athletic director Pete Crespo is always looking for talented young coaches who can relate to players, so when Khaliq said he wanted to help at the high school, he was an easy hire.

Khaliq was brought on as an assistant football and wrestling coach — Gabe's two sports — and taught physical education classes as well. Whenever his brother needed something, he wasn't far. However, that didn't mean special treatment at practice.

"Man, I ain't gonna lie. On the field, you couldn't even tell it was my brother," Gabe said.

Khaliq was in charge of the defensive line and coached Gabe harder than anyone. His brother was never going to take plays off. He was going to run to every ball, no matter where it was on the field. He was always going to put extra work in.

Gabe relished the tough coaching. These things were forged into his DNA and still show up on film in Foxborough.

After practice, they'd grab dinner and then head to a gym nearby, spending more time working out and sharpening pass rush moves.

"He respected his brother," Crespo said. "He did what his brother told him to do and he trusts his brother. You know how sometimes brothers fight? That wasn't the case here. They never fought."

Well, almost never. There was one exception: When they stepped onto the wrestling mat during the winter season. Those matches were epic.

Though he was growing into a standout football player, Gabe might've been even more dominant as a wrestler.

As a junior, he won a 3A State Championship at 220 pounds. In his final season, he jumped up a weight class and wrestled as a heavyweight. There was one issue. Nobody else on the roster could challenge Gabe in practice.

Seven years older and fully grown, Khaliq put on wrestling gear and pushed his brother to the limit. It's what Gabe needed to be great. And once again, he didn't take it easy on him.

"Khaliq was willing to do whatever it took to get his brother to be an elite athlete," wrestling coach Pat Seidel said. "These guys were fighting over who gets the steak. It was an absolute brawl."

After that, most high school wrestlers didn't stand a chance as Gabe dominated, en route to a 45-2 season and a second 3A State Championship, this time in Florida's heaviest weight class. After Gabe pinned his final opponent of the year to win another ring, the Jacas brothers embraced.

"On the mat, it's kill or be killed," Seidel said. "Off the mat, it's a brotherhood that I envy myself. I have a brother. It's nothing like what I watched between those two. They're great. They're just best friends. Khaliq is really just there for him in any capacity."

Gabe and Khaliq Jacas on the field together after an Illinois game (Courtesy photo: Khaliq Jacas)Khaliq Jacas

When college football coaches started reaching out, Gabe was in a much better spot than Khaliq had been. While Khaliq was always a step behind, he had helped give his brother a leg up.

"I just feel like I was ahead of a lot of people," Gabe said.

When college coaches began coming to Fort Pierce Central to see Gabe, his advisor was already by his side. The first coach from Illinois to recruit Gabe was Aaron Henry, a former NFL safety. He met Khaliq the day he arrived in Port St. Lucie because he was working at the high school.

"That's Gabe's right hand," Henry said. "Everything kind of went through Khaliq and his mom. Khaliq was a great sounding board for him."

Gabe received offers from numerous Division I schools, Mississippi State, Tennessee , South Florida and Khaliq's school, FIU among them, but ultimately chose Illinois. He thrived as a four-year starter for the Illini and led the Big Ten with 11 regular-season sacks as a senior.

In the spring, he was widely expected to be a Day 2 draft pick and held a party that Friday night. Halfway through the second round, his phone lit up. Though the Chargers were set to pick at No. 55, it was Patriots executive Eliot Wolf on the other end of the line. New England traded up into that spot to ensure Jacas was going to be a Patriot.

As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick on national television moments later, Jacas already had a navy blue Patriots hat on. The Jacas draft party erupted and Khaliq wrapped his arms around his little brother.

That moment gives Jacas goosebumps when he reflects on it.

Even five months later, while Khaliq was back in Florida, Jacas knew he wouldn't be standing in the Patriots locker room without his brother. He didn't refer to making the NFL as his accomplishment alone. It belonged to both of them.

"Everything we worked so hard for, our hopes and dreams, it came to life," Jacas said. "It's a testament of me, but it's also a testament of him. All this stuff he poured into me, we made it possible. We made it happen. It wasn't just a me thing... It just felt like everything we worked so hard for, it was worth it. The long nights, the early mornings, it was worth it. Now I will never, never stop doing that."

That relentlessness has proven valuable early in his tenure in Foxborough.

A knee injury and contract negotiation kept him sidelined for much of the spring, but when Jacas got on the field at training camp, his new coaches were bullish.

"I will tell you this, he looks like an outside linebacker," Mike Vrabel said. "I saw him in the uniform and said, 'Well, this is what they're supposed to look like.'"

Jacas recorded a sack in the season opener at Seattle and lived in the Steelers backfield last Sunday. In addition to knocking Rodgers to the turf, he intercepted the future Hall of Famer, too.

"Hey, great (expletive) job, man," a smiling Rodgers told Jacas on the field after the Patriots' 20-3 win.

When outside linebackers coach Mike Smith looks at Gabe now, he sees a confident 6-foot-4, 261-pound wrecking ball.

"You got a kid that's big like him, that's athletic like him, that's meaner than a wet mule, and he loves football," Smith said. "I'm not gonna say he's gonna be Jason Taylor or L.T. (Lawrence Taylor) or any of that stuff, but it's gonna be very hard for him to fail."

But Jacas might have failed if not for Khaliq's guidance.

He could have breezed through high school and hung up his cleats like he once thought he would. Instead, he got the blueprint for success from Khaliq and that's made all the difference.

"He stepped up in that (father figure) role and he embraced it," Jacas said. "He didn't shy away from it. He didn't bat an eye. He stepped up in that role. Being the older brother, he filled that role of, 'OK, Dad's not really around, but I'm a bigger brother and I'll help you any way I can.' It wasn't always perfect, but it was more than enough."

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