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New England Patriots

Jacoby and Drake: Going At It

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye isn’t out of the QB competition in New England, said head coach Jerod Mayo.

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“We have three more days of training camp practices and it’s our job as coaches to evaluate. The competition isn’t over,” Mayo said on a video conference call. “It’s definitely still a competition.”

Veteran Jacoby Brissett was declared the leader at the position by Mayo when training camp began. The journeyman in his second stint with the Patriots has started 48 career games bouncing from New England to the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders.

“They have to show not only themselves and their coaches, but also their teammates. So, it’s definitely still a competition,” Mayo said.

Brissett’s end-zone interception against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night was described by Mayo as a “poor play,” and he pointed to earlier comments he made about Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, having an opportunity to win the job.

“If Drake beats out Jacoby, he earned that role … if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play, he’ll start,” Mayo said.

Brissett, 31, is 18-30 as a starter in his NFL career. He started 11 games for the Browns in 2022 while Deshaun Watson served his NFL-levied suspension.

Maye, 21, would need to show more consistency before the Week 1 opener at Cincinnati to overtake Brissett for the No. 1 spot.

–Field Level Media

Late TD Sends Eagles Soaring

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) –  Kendall Milton ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 4:23 to play and the Philadelphia Eagles added a go-ahead two-point conversion to edge the New England Patriots 14-13 on Thursday in the suburbs of Boston.

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Ainias Smith caught the decisive two-point pass from Tanner McKee.

The Patriots (1-1) had two more possessions with a chance to retake the lead, but the first ended in a punt and the second was thwarted by a lost fumble near midfield.

McKee completed 15 of 19 passes for 140 yards, the most effective of three Eagles quarterbacks who played while regular starter Jalen Hurts sat out.

Wide receiver Joseph Ngata caught five passes for 88 yards for Philadelphia (2-0), both game-high totals.

Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett played three series and connected on 3 of 7 passes for 17 yards with an interception. Three other QBs followed him into action, but New England wound up completing just 14 of 29 passes for 113 yards.

Rookie first-round pick Drake Maye ran for the Patriots’ lone touchdown, a 4-yard score late in the first half. Maye threw for 47 yards on 6-of-11 passing.

–Field Level Media

Patriots Trading Judon to ATL

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are trading linebacker Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round draft pick, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday night.

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NFL Network reported that the pick will be for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Judon was entering the final season of a four-year, $54.5 million contract that was to pay him $6.5 million in base salary, and he was seeking a new deal with New England. He was spotted having an animated conversation with Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo during a practice session last month, one that Judon did not participate in.

Of the 14 training camp practices New England has had this offseason, Judon had kept himself out of two.

A bicep tear limited Judon to just four games (two starts) last season. He still managed to record four sacks along with 13 tackles.

The 31-year-old Judon has played eight NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2016-20) and Patriots (2021-23), amassing 66.5 sacks, 369 tackles, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 114 games (82 starts).

Judon is a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

–Field Level Media

Judon to Honor Contract for ’24

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon said he will play this season on his current contract.

The four-time Pro Bowler was on the practice field Monday, a week after a heated exchange with head coach Jerod Mayo and members of the team’s front office, reportedly over his contract status.

“I gotta play,” Judon told reporters after Monday’s session. “This ain’t nothing about practice. I gotta do what I’m contracted and obligated to do so I don’t lose money.”

Judon has been an on-again, off-again participant in camp while seeking a raise from the $6.5 million base salary he is set to earn this season in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

“I want to stay here for the remainder of my career,” he said. “I only have one year left. It’s not up to me.”

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For the first time, Judon talked to reporters about his exchange last week with Mayo.

“We had a conversation,” Judon said. “I didn’t want to be a distraction to the team, and I wasn’t participating that day so I went inside.”

Judon, who turns 32 on Aug. 15, is a ninth-year veteran who missed 13 games last season after suffering a torn biceps against the Dallas Cowboys in a Week 4 loss.

In eight seasons, Judon has 369 tackles, 66.5 sacks, 165 quarterback hits, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 114 games (82 starts) with the Baltimore Ravens (2016-20) and Patriots.

–Field Level Media

New England Patriots Sign Two

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots signed tackle Kellen Diesch and former UFL safety A.J. Thomas on Friday.

Diesch, 26, signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has been on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2023). He was released by the Cleveland Browns in May.

Thomas, 24, played for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions during the 2024 spring season and tallied 23 tackles and three interceptions in 12 games. He played in six games for the Bears from 2022-23 and made four tackles.

The Patriots released tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and running back Deshaun Fenwick to make room on the roster.

–Field Level Media

Patriots’ Judon Holding Out

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Unhappy with his current contract situation, New England Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon had an animated conversation with head coach Jerod Mayo and Patriots’ front-office members while not participating in practice on Monday.

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Judon had been a full participant in four previous practices before sitting out the team’s first full-pads practice at training camp.

He told reporters at camp on July 24 that he wanted to upgrade his contract, which will pay him a base salary of $6.5 million in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal.

“Honestly, it’s tough going into the last year of the deal. You kind of look at everybody around the league and in the building, and you see them getting deals done and worked out, and it’s tough to not be envious or jealous and stuff like that,” Judon said that day.

“But I have to focus on myself. I’m happy for those guys. As much as everybody wants to see me stay around here for a long time, it’s really not up to me. You have to ask those guys who are making those decisions.”

On Monday, Mayo approached Judon, who was watching practice from the sidelines, and spoke briefly before the linebacker replied and left the field.

Judon also engaged in talks with executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh.

Judon, who turns 32 on Aug. 15, said on a recent podcast that he hasn’t heard back from the Patriots after sending them his own contract proposal.

The nine-year veteran missed 13 games last season after suffering a torn biceps against the Dallas Cowboys in a Week 4 loss.

Jacoby Brissett is No. 1 for Pats

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo knows all about being the new guy, but he reiterated on Tuesday the importance of experience.

That’s the main reason he’ll start his first camp as a head coach since replacing Bill Belichick with a veteran as the starting quarterback.

“Coming out of spring I think it’s clear Jacoby [Brissett] looks like the starting quarterback at this point in time,” Mayo said Tuesday of the depth chart at quarterback. “With that being said, there’s going to be competition. All of those guys will have opportunities.”

No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye will get “as much work as he can” with the first team.

Mayo said if Maye comes out and “lights it up,” he could emerge as the starting quarterback.

The Patriots are starting from scratch at quarterback under Mayo, who is a first-time head coach and part of the monumental shift away from the Belichick-led regime that ruled the AFC East for most of the past two decades.

Maye was the first draft pick in years not influenced or directly chosen by Belichick, with Eliot Wolf promoted to executive vice president of player personnel. Wolf said after rookie minicamp that any decision on the starting QB job likely would be a collaborative effort. He also pointed to Brissett being the starter “right now.”

“He’s taking the first reps, and we’re excited about what he’s shown not only off the field but on the field with his throwing ability. Drake Maye, let’s be honest, we’ve had him for three weeks now,” Wolf said at the time. “There’s a long way to go to for all of our rookies and all of our players as we adapt to this new scheme that coach (Alex) Van Pelt is implementing offensively.”

 

 

Patriots Extend Safety Peppers

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers signed a contract extension, coach Jerod Mayo confirmed on Friday morning.

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“I can confirm it. I’m the head coach. I can confirm it,” Mayo said. “… I am very happy for Peppers and for his family and also for our team and the organization. He really embodies everything that we want on the field. He’s very selfless and flying around all the time. It’s good to get that deal done.”

While Mayo didn’t provide terms of the deal, multiple media reports penned Peppers’ extension as a three-year contract. It reportedly has a base value of $24 million and is worth up to $30 million with incentives.

Peppers, 28, had been heading into the final year of his existing contract.

He recorded 78 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 15 games (all starts) last season.

Peppers has totaled 471 tackles, six interceptions, 5.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 93 career games (79 starts) with the Cleveland Browns (2017-18), New York Giants (2019-21) and Patriots. He was selected by the Browns with the 25th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Stevenson to Extend Pact with Patriots

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FOXBOROUGH – New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots have agreed to extend his contract for four years and $36 million, including $17 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports.

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Stevenson, 26, is slated to earn a base salary of $3.116 million in the final year on his rookie contract, which he signed after the Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. His extension takes him through the 2028 season.

He told reporters earlier this month that the sides were “pretty close” to getting a deal done.

“It’s not frustrating, but it’s just a long process,” he said on June 10. “This is my first time going through it, but just hearing from all the other guys, this is how it goes. It’s a negotiation process, and I’m respecting the process.”

Last season, Stevenson suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 13 and sat out the rest of a 4-13 campaign. In 12 games, he rushed for 619 yards and four touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 238 yards.

In 41 games (21 starts) over three seasons, the 6-foot, 227-pound Oklahoma product has 2,265 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns along with 121 catches for 782 yards and one receiving score.

Stevenson shared the backfield with veteran Ezekiel Elliott last season, but Elliott rejoined the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. This spring, former Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson is in the fold after signing a three-year, $11.25 million deal, but Stevenson remains the starter.

“I think he’s one of the better backs in the league, no doubt about it,” first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said of Stevenson at the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp two weeks ago. “I’m excited to see what he does this season, and look, he’s earned everything that he gets. He is our starting running back and, hopefully, we do get something done.”

–Field Level Media

New England Patriots: Bronze Brady

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots, while inducting the legendary Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame on Wednesday, delivered a few surprises for the retired quarterback.

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Team owner Robert Kraft revealed that the Patriots are retiring Brady’s uniform No. 12 and are commissioning a 12-foot-tall bronze Brady statue that will be installed during the 2024 season.

“(The statue) will stand alone in the plaza outside of the Hall of Fame to symbolize his position, not as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in all of NFL history,” Kraft said.

The ceremony drew a crowd of 60,000 to the Patriots’ home stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on the night of an NBA Finals game featuring the Boston Celtics. The three-hour festivities included appearances by scores of Brady’s former teammates and ex-Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. It was the first time Belichick returned to Foxborough since he resigned at the end of last season.

Brady gave thanks to all, saying, “I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.”

He added of Belichick, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. … Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”

Brady, playing under Belichick, spent 20 years with the Patriots, leading the team to six Super Bowl championships. He later added another title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Belichick, greeted with huge cheers from Patriots fans, said to Brady, “Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And thank you for the example and model you’ve been for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years. Congratulations.”