Image courtesy of Penn State Athletics Trade down. Trade the pick for a proven player. Stick and pick a lineman on either side of the ball. Take Travis Hunter if he happens to fall. Everyone has an opinion on what the Patriots should do with the fourth overall pick when the draft opens up in Green Bay late in April. Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf (and Ryan Cowden to an…
Image courtesy of Tony Harman/Colorado Athletics By Andy Backstrom NEFJ Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – The New England Patriots have too many holes for one draft selection to patch. They need to surround second-year quarterback Drake Maye with more weapons. They also need to bolster a defense that ranked 11th-to-last in the NFL with 24.5 points per game allowed last season. That’s where executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and…
By Andy Backstrom NEFJ Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – The New England Patriots were 4-13 last season. More plainly, they just weren’t good enough. And as Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf admitted Wednesday at the NFL Combine, the organization “just didn’t get enough done.” He took the blame for a roster that was among the NFL’s worst in 2024. “Certainly the free agency class didn’t live up to…
The Patriots are shopping defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. Godchaux has two years remaining on his contract, including $16.5 million in guaranteed money. He is scheduled to earn salaries of $4 million in 2025 and $5.5 million in 2026. The 6’3 330 pound Godchaux is not a scheme fit in the new Patriots defensive scheme and the team told his agent that he can seek a trade. Given what he is…
In the movie ‘Remember the Titans’ there’s a scene early where Julius Campbell is speaking to Gerry Bertier, it’s a critical, tone-setting moment for the rest of the film. “Attitude reflects leadership, captain,” Campbell told him. If you’ve seen it, you know the rest is history with the help of a few more bonding moments. Right now, Patriots players have loudly said the same thing to Robert and Jonathan Kraft….
For the first time since being hired, Mike Vrabel spoke with the assembled media down in Indianapolis on Tuesday morning. During the 15-minute Q&A, Vrabel hit on all the important issues currently facing him and the organization as they look to just get back to respectability before even thinking about contention. Vrabel’s staff is complete and it’ll be an integral part of the franchise’s success going forward. He was asked…
Plenty of Patriots talk this week as Mike Vrabel, his coaching staff and the front office head out to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Vrabel and Wolf times set for NFL Combine: Mike Vrabel is scheduled to meet with the media on Tuesday morning at 10:15 am. Eliot Wolf will meet with the media on Wednesday at 1 pm. Both should have plenty to say regarding the combine and what…
The Patriots released veteran linebacker Sione Takitaki on Wednesday and signed center Ben Brown to a one year deal worth $1.3 million dollars on Thursday. The team also re-signed right tackle Demontrey Jacobs to a one year, $960,000 dollar deal. MassLive’s Mark Daniels was the first to report the signings. Takitaki’s release is no surprise as the veteran linebacker struggled to stay healthy and even when he did play, he…
It appears the Patriots may have more salary cap space to work with than originally thought. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the NFL informed teams on Wednesday that the “2025 per-team salary cap will fall in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million.” That is a substantial increase from last year’s $255.4 million. The expected cap projection for this year was roughly $275 million. The Patriots could have as much…
According to NFL Insider Jason LaCanfora, the Patriots “really want” to sign free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins is an unrestricted free agent and his current team, the Cincinnati Bengals is expected to try and re-sign him. Cincinnati will have stiff competition from several teams including the Patriots, Commanders, Titans, Bears and Raiders among others. LaCanfora said that owner Robert Kraft is catching flack for not really spending and…