The Seattle Sea Dragons legacy will continue in the NFL for a little bit longer, with former Defensive Lineman Niko Lalos earning a contract with the New England Patriots. Lalos, however, is making a change in his NFL journey instead of playing Defensive Line, is now a Long Snapper in New England.
Lalos recently worked out for the Patriots along with former Alabama Long Snapper Kneeland Hibbett, and Zach Triner. Lalos was recently released by the New Orleans Saints in August of 2024 and began his transition later in the year. He was spotted at the UFL specialist showcase over the past two years, while also receiving an invitation to the Eagles Rookie Mini-Camp (May 2025), and worked out for Philadelphia as well in August of 2025.
Lalos played parts of three seasons in the NFL from 2020 to 2022, before joining the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023. He earned a contract with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, spending the season on their practice squad, before his release in August of 2024.
Lalos joins the ever-growing list of specialists in the NFL with Spring Football ties. Graham Gano (2009 UFL), Nick Folk (2019 AAF), Nick Moore (2020 XFL), Christian Kuntz (2020 XFL), Tucker Addington (2022 USFL), Mitch Fraboni (2022 USFL), Brandon Aubrey (2023 USFL), Daniel Whelan (2023 XFL), Andre Smyzt (2024 UFL), Rex Sunahara (2024 UFL), Jake Bates (2024 UFL), Peter Bowden (2025 UFL), Lucas Havrisik (2025 UFL), Harrison Mevis (2025 UFL), and Seth Vernon (2025 UFL) all are currently rostered on NFL teams. With Lalos though his path is not traditional, his ties to spring football do provide some value from a marketing perspective in growing the league.
Lalos will compete with 2025 7th round pick Julian Ashby for a spot on the active roster in New England.