Today in Patriots History
Hernandez signs rookie contract
Gronk gets six-year extension
Spikes cut after hit-and-run
and other news from the 2010s
June 8, 2010:
The New England Patriots have signed former Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez, their fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
www.gainesville.com
The New England Patriots have signed former Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez, their fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
The 6-1, 250-pound Hernandez had 68 catches for 850 yards — both school records for tight ends — while playing with star quarterback Tim Tebow last season.
The 113th overall selection in the draft, Hernandez acknowledged that he violated the substance abuse police once in college but denied published reports he was a multiple offender.
Hernandez, a native of Bristol, Conn., is the fourth of 12 Patriots' draft choices to sign with the team. Terms were not disclosed.
Considering the events that would eventually unfold, that is some interested verbiage about the spree killer being a 'multiple offender'.
June 8, 2010:
Calvin Stephens passes away at the age of 42
The Pats selected Stephens in the third round of the 1991 draft. A guard from South Carolina, he played in 13 games for the Patriots in 1992, with one start.
Mountain Island Charter defensive back Gabe Stephens is the son of former Gamecock standout Calvin Stephens of Kings Mountain
www.gastongazette.com
June 8, 2012:
Pats sign TE
Rob Gronkowski to a six-year contract extension, through 2019
Rob Gronkowski is going to be in New England for a long time.
www.cbsnews.com
Rob Gronkowski is going to be in New England for a long time.
The Patriots' tight end agreed to a six-year extension with the Patriots, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The report says the deal is worth $54 million, though the specifics of that money are not yet known.
With perhaps the best tight end in the entire NFL on the roster for two more years at short money, the Patriots had no reason to rush to ink Gronkowski to a long-term deal. However, the team clearly prioritized him in order to avoid any potential contract issues in the future.
Gronkowski, still just , was scheduled to make a base salary of just $540,000 and $575,000 in the last two years of his rookie deal. Now, he'll be the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, according to Schefter.
Gronkowski caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, while also adding a two-yard touchdown that technically went into the stats as a rushing attempt. He set an NFL record for most touchdowns in a single season by a tight end and most receiving yards by a tight end, though an ankle injury suffered in the AFC Championship Game limited him to just two catches for 26 yards in the Super Bowl.
June 8, 2012:
New England Patriots tight end Brad Herman underwent surgery to repair an Achilles injury and will likely miss the season, according to a league source.
www.espn.com
New England Patriots tight end Brad Herman underwent surgery to repair an Achilles injury and will likely miss the season, according to a league source.
The undrafted rookie from Iowa was carted off the field during warmups of the team's organized team activity on Thursday. The Patriots have yet to make a roster move, but if Herman is placed on injured reserve (after first clearing waivers), he will not count against the 90-man roster limit.
Herman was one of just three tight ends set to practice on Thursday, joining second-year converted defensive end Alex Silvestro and veteran Bo Scaife. The team was without Rob Gronkowski (ankle) and Daniel Fells (unknown) for all of its OTA sessions open to the media, while Aaron Hernandez also missed Thursday's practice.
The injury ended Brad Herman's football career. A few days later he would be waived/injured, and revert to injured reserve. He never caught on with another NFL team after that.
Brad Herman - Football 2011-12
hawkeyesports.com
June 8, 2015:
Patriots release LB
Brandon Spikes
The move came one day after Spikes' vehicle was on I-495 in the early morning with no headlights and rear ended another automobile, causing substantial damage to both cars. Spike's Mercedes was abandoned on the median strip with the driver fleeing the scene.
Mercedes-Maybach found with front-end damage on Sunday as police say it is unclear who was driving and reported collision with a deer
www.theguardian.com
Former New England Patriot linebacker Brandon Spikes pleaded guilty Wednesday to leaving the scene of an accident last month on Interstate 495.
boston.cbslocal.com
Brandon Spikes considers himself a lucky man -- and a changed man -- to have an opportunity with the Bills after last year's life-altering crash.
www.espn.com
June 8, 2015:
The sixth year man out of William & Mary has 13 career interceptions.
www.boston.com
The Patriots made a move to add to their defensive backfield Monday with the signing of cornerback Derek Cox. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound Cox has played five seasons in the NFL with Jacksonville and San Diego, starting 56 of 63 career games and intercepting 13 passes.
Cox was benched three times in four November games by the Chargers in 2013, and replaced in the starting lineup in early December of that season. He did not play in the NFL in 2014 after spending training camp with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings released him on Aug. 25, and he was signed by Baltimore just two days later before being released by the Ravens on Aug. 30.
The signing of Derek Cox by the Patriots sparked memories of one of the best trades of Bill Belichick's 16-year tenure.
www.espn.com
The New England Patriots announced the signing of veteran cornerback Derek Cox on Monday, a move that sparks memories of one of the best trades of Bill Belichick's 16-year tenure.
In 2009, the Patriots traded a third-round pick to the Jaguars, who selected Cox. In turn, the Patriots received a seventh-round draft pick (WR Julian Edelman) and a 2010 second-rounder that was in a position (No. 44) that allowed the club to jump to No. 42 to select tight end Rob Gronkowski.
That has to be a contender for the greatest draft pick trade in NFL history.
June 8, 2016:
New England Patriots tight end Michael Williams exited the practice field Wednesday after suffering an apparent leg injury.
247sports.com
TE Michael Williams limped to the sideline during the 11-on-11 portion of practice with an apparent left leg injury. He was ultimately carted off the field after being tended to by members of the team’s training staff.
Williams, who played tight end at Alabama before transitioning to offensive tackle during his time with the Detroit Lions, returned to his college position upon arriving in New England via trade last August.
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound eligible offensive lineman proceeded to appear in 15 games for the Patriots last season, starting nine, while catching three passes for 26 yards.
Williams was waived/injured the next day, then reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers, and spent the 2016 season on IR. The Pats re-signed Williams in March but the was waived in May, presumably due to hos torn ACL not yet being fully recovered. That turned out to be the last stop of Williams' NFL career, originally a 7th round draft pick by Detroit in 2013.
June 8, 2017:
Edelman has been irreplaceable since becoming the No. 1 receiver in 2013. But before that, the Patriots almost let him walk in free agency without much of a fight.
www.masslive.com
FOXBORO — Julian Edelman may very well be a Patriot for life.Edelman and the Patriots agreed to the terms of a multiyear contract extension, according to a source.The 31-year-old wide receiver was originally signed through 2017, but…
www.bostonherald.com
Julian Edelman may very well be a Patriot for life.
Edelman and the Patriots agreed to the terms of a multiyear contract extension, according to a source.
The 31-year-old wide receiver was originally signed through 2017, but now his status is secure for quite a bit longer. The exact details of the extension were not disclosed, as Edelman was still waiting to put the pen to paper, which could seemingly happen at any moment. The Pats wrapped up minicamp yesterday and have their Super Bowl ring ceremony at owner Robert Kraft’s residence tonight.
It’s been a terrific week for Edelman. His six connections with Tom Brady in three minicamp practices were tied for the second most on the team. Edelman caught a team-high 10 passes overall yesterday from Brady and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in team drills.
This will yield a great degree of comfort for Edelman after far more stressful contract negotiations in prior years. As a first-time free agent in 2013, Edelman visited with the Giants for a couple days before re-signing on a one-year, $1.015 million contract.
Jules would miss the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL, then rebound with one of the greatest postseasons ever the following year, followed by his third 1,000-plus yard season in 2019. Edelman received another two-year extension in 2019; he ranks second in franchise history with 620 receptions, and fourth with 6,366 yards receiving.
June 8, 2017:
On Thursday, the agency representing third-round pick Derek Rivers announced that the Patriots' top pick had officially signed his rookie contract.
www.masslive.com
Derek Rivers, a defensive end out of Youngstown State, was the fourth and final draft pick to sign his rookie deal. OT Tony Garcia, the team's other third-round pick, inked his deal on Tuesday while both DE Deatrich Wise and OT Conor McDermott signed their deals back in May.
Rivers tore his ACL two months later, missing his entire rookie season. Two years later it was déjà vu, missing all of 2019 after suffering a knee injury in week two of the preseason. Altogether Rivers only played in 14 games for the Patriots over 3½injury riddled seasons, with six tackles and 2½ sacks.
Doris Farrar, lives in Freeport, Maine. She turned 111 on Tuesday. Her birthday wish was to meet Tom Brady.
wokq.com
Doris Farrar lives in Freeport, Maine, and she turned 111 on Tuesday,
according to WGME. Her birthday wish was to meet
Tom Brady. The news station reported that she was born in in 1906, when Theodore Roosevelt was president and San Francisco had its massive earthquake.
She’s originally from Bar Harbor, but her family moved to Connecticut before eventually settling in Massachusetts, according to WGME. Then she reportedly moved back to Maine in 2003. The nurses at the assisted living home where Doris stays, say she sends lots of letters. And she decided to send one to Brady, and tell him she's his oldest fan, the news station said.
When it comes to talking to the press, Patriots coach Bell Belichick doesn't want clever conversation; he doesn't want to work that hard.
www.nbcsports.com
They nevertheless will have to deal with the changes that were made, including the reduction in overtime from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.
“I mean, I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Belichick said. “I mean, it’s shorter, so it is what it is.”
He also called the elimination of the ability to leap over the line during field goals and extra points “another monster,” and he had a simple three-word reaction to the change: “Won’t do it.”
There’s brilliance in that simplicity. The rules change, and the teams adapt.
June 8, 2019:
Eric Patterson dies at the age of 26.
Eric Patterson played college football at Ball State and then bounced around the NFL for a little bit after being signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent.
www.si.com
TAMPA — Eric Patterson was a well-liked, standout football player at Plant High School who went on to play at Ball State University and then a short stint in the NFL.
www.tampabay.com
Patterson was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted rookie from Ball State on May 8, 2015, but was let go just a month later. He appeared in three NFL games for the Colts and Rams in 2015, but - like Reche Caldwell - should have moved out of Tampa.
