1 - Bust out the calendar and get the family’s summer schedule in order! The New England Patriots released their Training Camp 2024 or #PatsCamp dates this week, with a whopping 13 chances for fans to attend and see firsthand exactly what this almost entirely new iteration of the Pats looks like.
Eleven of those 13 practices all come before the team’s first preseason game on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. at home vs. the Carolina Panthers. There will be two practices open to the public between the first and second preseason game on Aug. 15, also a home affair, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles. After that the ranks are tightened, the gates are closed and preparations begin for the final preseason game, a road affair Aug. 25 against the Washington Commanders.
The big story here will be what, exactly, is the level of interest from fans in attending camp, particularly the opening, to get a firsthand glimpse at rookie QB Drake Maye as well as many of the other rookies and new players in camp. While the players have had OTAs and minicamps aplenty with media in attendance, the fans haven’t been able to watch Maye sling it, Ja’Lynn Polk catch it or Jerod Mayo coach it in-person yet.
While we likely can’t expect the kind of frenzy camps used to bring about in the days of Brady, Belichick, Gronk and company, an uptick in attendance and buzz should be palpable this summer. 2021 had a lively preseason given the arrival of new QB Mac Jones and fans having missed 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. This camp should bring about at least that level of excitement and potentially more.
2 - Looking to the preseason schedule, the Pats and their fans will get a good firsthand look at a few other potential future faces of franchises in Carolina’s second-year QB Bryce Young and Washington’s rookie QB Jayden Daniels.
Young had a number of starts last season but struggled mightily on a team bereft of talent with a first-year coach in turmoil who ultimately was dismissed midseason. The Panthers have now added some weapons for him in veteran receiver Diontae Johnson from Pittsburgh and rookie Xavier Legette, whom the Pats reportedly were interested in. Plus the Panthers have a new coach in Dave Canales, the former OC of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will be interesting to see if Young is making strides and adapting to the pro game.
Pats fans will likely be more interested in seeing Daniels, who was drafted one slot ahead of Maye, second overall. While it will be way too early to make any calls or predictions on who will have the more successful pro career between the two, it will be fun to see him in-person and exactly how his new team and new offensive coordinator, the pass-happy Kliff Kingsbury, is utilizing his skill set vs. the more run-oriented Alex Van Pelt in New England. We’ll bookmark this and revisit in a few years to see which QB came out on top, but hopefully they both have fruitful careers and this is a matchup we’ll look forward to in years to come.
3 - Speaking of Maye-watch, Chad Graff of The Athletic published a piece this week analyzing how the starting QB gig could shake out this summer in Foxboro. Fans and media alike are all interested in seeing the most intriguing player, Drake Maye, under center as soon as possible, it seems, but how soon will that be? While there is no definitive timetable as to when Maye ascends to QB1 of the Pats, we do know Jacoby Brissett has been named the starter by Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, Eliot Wolf and anyone who has any say in the matter.
While the hope seems to be having Maye take over at some point, he won’t be rushed into action to placate ownership, fans or media. The article reminds us the starting gig is Brissett’s to lose, and even if he and Maye have camps on par with one another the team will likely have Brissett start the season under center. A massive difference in play would have to occur for Maye to overtake Brissett by Week 1 in Cincinnati.
This is all not to say we won’t see Maye before Halloween or Thanksgiving, let’s say, but rather a reminder that this is the most important player and pick in recent Pats history and with the cautionary tale of Mac Jones and his descent from QB hope to QB mope over three years in New England, patience is still the play with Maye this season.
4 - While we’re here…it appears Mac Jones is enjoying himself in Jacksonville these days, which is good to see. His time in New England went from fruitful to frustrating rather quickly, and the full story from all parties involved as to exactly what happened and why things fell apart will be one to watch out for some time soon. Jones is entrenched as the backup for Trevor Lawrence, who recently signed a massive five-year, $275 million contract extension. Lawrence was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, the same draft that saw Jones go 15th overall to New England.
While, again, it looks that Jones is relieved to be out of the pressure cooker that was New England, it has to sting to think he was once on his way to one of those lucrative multimillion dollar extensions and now has to play backup to someone he has just two fewer wins than (18-24 record for Jones versus a 20-30 record for Lawrence). Jones is in the final year of his rookie deal and will look for any way to prove he deserves another shot at starting in the NFL. Just a brutal reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football.
5 - QB money has gotten awfully funny in the NFL recently, with Lawrence’s haul, not to mention an extension for Jared Goff with $170 million guaranteed and more lucrative deals. A look at the top 10 highest paid QBs is jaw-dropping to say the least, especially considering only one of the top 10, Patrick Mahomes, has a Super Bowl win to his name (he has three).
The wild salaries has brought about talk of a possible salary cap for QBs, capping what percentage of a team’s salary cap a QB’s salary can take up. While it’s unlikely that a true cap will come about to try and curtail the ascending price tag of a top tier starter in the NFL, it has been broached, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero (and analyzed by friend of 6 Rings Paul Perillo of Patriots.com).
An NBA max contract style system would be fascinating to see implemented, and likely something NFL owners would love to see in place, yet still unlikely anytime soon. If Lawrence, who has 20 career wins, is paid top of market, what will CJ Stroud, who already has a playoff win after his rookie season, command down the line?
All of this just showcases what a gamble these huge deals are, and also exactly how incredible it was to see someone like Tom Brady take less to allow his team to sign more quality players and build competitive depth from players 1-53. While we likely won’t see someone like Brady on the field, we can almost guarantee we won’t see someone do what he did salary-wise ever again.
6 - Contracts have been handed out left and right to many veterans on the Patriots this offseason, as Executive VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf has worked to retain what he and his staff believe is the core of the team in transition. Two players on the defensive side of the ball who would like to see their contracts extended and their salaries raised would be linebacker Matthew Judon and defensive lineman Davon Godchaux. Judon is in the final year of his four-year, $54 million deal he signed in 2021, while Godchaux has two years remaining. Both players have taken to social media in the last month to plead their case, with Judon being a bit more indirect…
…while Godchaux lays out exactly how he’d like to see things go down.
After seeing extensions handed out to Mike Onwenu, Rhamondre Stevenson and especially Christian Barmore, who received a massive four-year, $92 million deal, it will be interesting to see if Mayo, Wolf and company value either or both of these players as part of their veteran core going forward. Both have been steady contributors to one of the better defenses in the NFL, but considering the almost QB-like escalation of pass rusher salaries, if we had to guess who between the two was extended first or at all, our money would be on Godchaux in the trenches.
7 - Belated birthday wishes to Patriots second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who turned 22 years old this past Friday.
Much is expected of Gonzalez, who was a first-round pick in 2023 and looked every bit the part of a number one corner before tearing his labrum against Dallas and ending his season in the fourth game.
By all accounts his surgery, rehab and offseason have gone well and he’ll look to re-establish himself on the outside opposite veteran Jonathan Jones, who said recently that Gonzalez has the talent to be a top-three corner in the league. Lofty expectations for someone with such limited pro experience.
Whether Gonzalez can return to form, stay healthy and play at a high level for a full season remains one of the top storylines for a team that’s just under a month away from starting camp and beginning a new campaign.
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