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New England Patriots

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.”

Patriots Name Eliot Wolf as EVP Football

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots named Eliot Wolf their executive vice president of player personnel on Saturday. Wolf, 42, has 20 seasons of NFL experience, including the last four as director of scouting for the Patriots. His duties will include overseeing the personnel department, managing the salary cap and control of the 53-man roster.

The Patriots also have a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo.

“As I have stated multiple times during the offseason, the plan was to observe the working relationship and involvement between Eliot and Jerod and see how they managed our offseason personnel decisions,” Patriots CEO Robert Kraft said in a prepared statement. “Then, following the draft we would formally undertake a process for setting up the permanent structure of our personnel department.

“I have been impressed with Eliot’s management style and experience and I’m excited that he has agreed to take on this new position.”

Wolf previously spent time with the Green Bay Packers (2004-17) and Cleveland Browns (2018-19). He was assistant general manager with the Browns.

“It is an honor to accept this position with the New England Patriots,” Wolf said. “I am grateful to the Kraft family for this opportunity and want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for the support and strength they have given me as I move forward in my new role. I also want to thank all of the people I have worked with and learned from over the years.”

Wolf is the son of former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

–Field Level Media

Patriots: Maye Putting In the Work

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots rookies – head coach Jerod Mayo and quarterback Drake Maye – spent a good deal of time together the past two days at the team’s rookie camp, with Mayo taking a level approach in his initial reviews.

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“Early impressions of Drake?” Mayo said Saturday. “He has a lot to work on. But I have no doubt he’ll put the work in.”

Maye, the Patriots’ first-round pick (No. 3 overall) from North Carolina, has not yet been named the starter but that’s widely expected to come this summer.

Until then, Mayo will watch closely and continue to challenge the 21-year-old quarterback.

“He has a lot to work on. A lot to work on …,” Mayo continued. “He was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”

While “all night” might be a stretch, Mayo underscored the importance of spending quality time with his rookies.

“We’ll be here ‘til 7, 8, 9 o’clock,” he said. “Go in for a lift, then we have some meetings.

“The best thing about mini-camp is being around the guys for the first time. We’re at the hotel together. We’re right across the hallway from each other, so we’ll watch the film and look at the scripts for the next day together. We’ve got nothing else to do up here. Why not focus on football?”

Among Maye’s future targets, wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk spoke highly when asked for his evaluation of Maye.

“Guy can sling it,” said Polk, New England’s second-round selection. “Very confident and vocal. He’s a leader.

“He’s setting the tone in practice, trying to get guys moving around and operating at a high level. This is new to all of us. We’re still learning and trying to get to know each other so everybody can get on the same page.”

Much of Maye’s early work centered on fundamentals.

“I’m trying out two new stances that I’m getting used to,” he said. “Just getting more reps at it. Footwork is huge. It’s something that’s not easy.”

Along with Mayo, Maye will lean on Mayo as well as New England offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, offensive assistant coach Ben McAdoo and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney.

“T.C. is talking to us during the meetings,” Maye said, “Coach Van Pelt will chime in when he needs to. (McAdoo) is awesome. All three of them know a lot of football.”

-Field Level Media

Slye and the Patriots Family

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kicker Joey Slye agreed to terms on a contract with the New England Patriots, said multiple reports Thursday. Slye, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday, is expected to provide competition for Chad Ryland in New England.

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Ryland, 24, made just 64 percent of his field-goal attempts (16 of 25) during his rookie season for the Patriots. He was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Slye didn’t spend long in Jacksonville, as he signed with the club on March 18.

Slye, 28, converted 19 of 24 field goals and 32 of 35 extra points in 17 games for the Washington Commanders last season. He has made 82.3 percent of his field goals and just 88.5 percent of his PATs across five seasons with four teams.

–Field Level Media

NFL Report: Patriots Sign KJ Osborn

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are bringing aboard one of the top remaining free agent receivers, signing former Minnesota Vikings wideout K.J. Osborn, according to multiple reports Sunday.

Osborn played a complementary role to standout Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, recording 158 receptions for 1,845 yards over the past three seasons.

He started 30 of his 59 games with the Vikings, contributing 15 touchdown receptions.

Osborn, who turns 27 in June, was a fifth-round pick by Minnesota in 2020.

The Patriots, who traded quarterback Mac Jones during this offseason, are likely to draft a QB with their first-round pick (No. 3 overall). New England’s receiver room is led by JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor.

–Field Level Media

Patriots’ Slater to Retire

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 seasons. The three-time Super Bowl champion holds the NFL record for special teams players with 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Slater, 38, played in 264 games (including playoffs) for the Patriots from 2008-23, second only to Tom Brady (326).

“I have given all that I possibly can to respect and honor the game,” he wrote in a lengthy post on social media. “Though it is time for my relationship with the game to evolve, the love I have for it will last a lifetime.”

Originally drafted as a wide receiver in the fifth round in 2008, Slater made his impact on special teams. He served as a kick returner on and off between 2008 and 2016 and amassed 191 tackles in kick and punt coverage.

“In 2008, I came here as a young man with hopes and dreams,” Slater wrote. “In 2024, I can retire knowing this experience has exceeded any hope or dream I ever had.”

–Field Level Media