Ex-Titan Jack Gibbens Brings More Than A Nickname To Patriots

An old nickname could be back in circulation for Jack Gibbens.

“Dr. Gibby.”

The New England Patriots linebacker acquired it from past and present head coach Mike Vrabel as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

“I guess it was my rookie year. He just started calling me ‘Dr. Gibby,’” Gibbens told reporters during his Thursday press conference at Gillette Stadium. “Like in rookie minicamp and stuff, he likes to ask a lot of questions, quiz people. And I answered a few right and he started calling me ‘Doctor.’ I had to let him know that I didn’t study medicine in school, but yeah, he let me know it was a joke.”

Gibbens, 26, held a 4.0 GPA as a double major in accounting and financial management at Abilene Christian University. Twice a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, he went on to earn his master’s degree in accounting as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota.

Earning a 53-man NFL roster spot was up next for the former All-Big Ten honorable mention.

After clearing waivers at the end of his rookie preseason, Gibbens made his way on the practice squad before being promoted to the active roster as fall turned to winter. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound off-the-ball linebacker went on to appear in 29 games during his run in Nashville, starting 20.

He had a hand in 167 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception across 1,078 snaps on defense as well as 466 snaps on special teams.

“It’s kind of been a crazy journey for me,” Gibbens said. “Coming in as an undrafted guy, had to kind of fight and scratch for every opportunity I got. And I got the opportunity to get on the field a little bit in Tennessee, felt like I had some success, and last year was kind of a rocky year for me with some stuff happening kind of outside of my control.”

On the heels of a breakout 2023 season under Vrabel, Gibbens’ 2024 under new Titans head coach Brian Callahan ended in November due to ankle surgery. In the weeks prior to being carted off and placed on injured reserve, he tallied a team-high 14 tackles against the Patriots and split a sack on rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

“Then I got my opportunity, felt like I was playing good and then go down with an injury. So that’s kind of been the story of my career,” added Gibbens. “But just trying to stay resilient, keep working hard and just continue to fight and earn any opportunities that I can get, and then make the most of them when I get them.”

After not being tendered by Tennessee as a restricted free agent in March, Gibbens visited Foxborough. A one-year contract followed. It brings a $1.1 million base salary and a cap charge of $1.365 million, per OverTheCap.com. It also brings connections.

Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, defensive line coach Clint McMillan, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton and safeties coach Scott Booker are among the Titans ties with the 2025 Patriots.

“The big reason I wanted to come here was just familiarity with this coaching staff,” Gibbens said. “With the type of football they want to play here, I feel like it aligns with who I am and the type of player and person I want to be. I wanted to get back in that environment.”

Time will tell whether the old nickname from Vrabel spreads.

“Not many other people have caught onto it, but yeah, he still calls me ‘Doc’ every now and then,” Gibbens said.