Good morning, and a happy Sunday to all. Here is your Patriots news for 07-19, along with this week’s NFL notes. The Patriots’ rookies report on Tuesday, the veterans on the 24th, and training camp begins next Saturday.
And at least for now, one of the most concerning developments is the lack of progress on the contracts of Gabe Jacas and Christian Gonzalez. But between the two, the feeling here is that the Jacas situation is more concerning.
There is a reason teams have rookie minicamps, OTAs, and mandatory minicamps. And he’s taken part in none of them. His absence is hurting the team and hurting the player (himself). But with his surgery and rehab on his own, he probably hasn’t been ready to get on the field yet.
I understand that each side has a point in this impasse, but in truth, it is doing neither side any good, especially for 2026. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the team drafting him, as IMO they really need a guy who can speed-rush off the edge. But he’s a big, physical player who fits their philosophy.
Vrabel prioritizes physical toughness, functional strength, and positional versatility over pure speed. He demands edge rushers who can set the edge in the run game, withstand blocks, and rush the quarterback using a variety of techniques across different defensive fronts. Harold Landry, newcomer Dre’Mont Jones, and Jacas all fit that mold.
However, the Patriots gave up three draft picks for him, so it is fair to wonder at this point how much he can give them in 2026 and if the team’s lack of speed on the edge hurts them down the stretch this season.
With Gonzalez, the feeling here is that they will get a contract extension done sooner or later. The Patriots’ superstar cornerback was named the league’s third-best by ESPN in its 2026 NFL cornerback rankings. Gonzalez was listed as the #6 corner a year ago.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Gonzalez allowed only 14 completions on 36 targets during the playoffs. He allowed only a 38.8 percent completion rate, the lowest among defenders facing at least 25 targets in a postseason since at least 2018, per ESPN.
Currently, Gonzalez is in the fourth year of a 4-year, $15.1 million rookie contract with the New England Patriots. The deal is fully guaranteed. He is slated to earn a $2.25 million base salary and a $550,000 roster bonus in 2026, with a $4.8 million salary cap hit.
The Patriots have already exercised their fifth-year option, which is valued at $18.11 million for the 2027 season. The nagging worry here is— and there isn’t any indication of this happening— that the Patriots trade him around the time that Drake Maye’s new contract comes along, especially considering what the Jets got for Sauce Gardner.
Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News
Drake Maye: The Patriots’ star young quarterback was ranked the #3 fantasy QB behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson by DraftSharks.com for 2026.
Maye led the NFL in completion rate (72.0%), yards per pass attempt (8.9), and quarterback rating (113.5) while averaging 28.9 passes per game in the regular season. Maye went 9-0 on the road in 2025, with eight regular-season wins and a playoff victory on the road in Denver.
The Patriots improved their OL with the signing of Alijah Vera-Tucker and the drafting of Caleb Lomu and added wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason.
It should be a very intriguing season for Maye in his second season with Josh McDaniels as the Offensive Coordinator. Of course, the naysayers (especially in Western New York) will point to the Patriots’ schedule, which was the 3rd easiest in the league. But no one mentioned that the Bills had the 5th-easiest strength of schedule last year…
Forged In Foxborough Ep.2: The team released the next episode of the Season 2 series. The excellent behind-the-scenes look primarily focuses on the acquisition of A.J. Brown and the rookie class.
Of course, Mike Vrabel is heavily involved with the rookies both on the field, giving instruction, and in the meeting rooms as they adapt to the Patriots’ ways of doing things. The team then quickly transitioned to OTAs and the mandatory minicamp.
The first annual MayeDay Classic in Worcester was featured as it was a fun treat for the fans and a nice teambuilding exercise. And the episode ends with Vrabel telling the assembled team at the end of minicamp, “The next 42 days are the most important of our season.”
Travis Shaw: The Patriots released the big UDFA defensive tackle a week before training camp starts in a bit of a surprise move, given the timing of his release before the pads come on.
Shaw was signed by the team after a successful tryout during rookie minicamp. Although he was a long shot to make the team, he had the size- 6’5, 335 pounds to fill the role that Khyiris Tonga had last season as a two-gapping nose tackle.
His departure leaves the team at 90 personnel, as they were allowed to carry 91, as Lorenz Metz, who is an exempt international player.
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: We were back yesterday afternoon to discuss the Forged in Foxborough series, the Jacas and Gonzalez contract situations, the Kayshon Boutte and Kyle Williams situations, and Drake Maye’s development on the PatsFans.com website. You can always check out our other podcasts on our YouTube channel.
Please check it out. And be sure to like, share, and leave us a review.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriots tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots’ team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.
We will continue to display this in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
This Is A Big Summer For Williams And Boutte
The Patriots made two big additions to their wide receiver room this spring. During free agency, after releasing Stefon Diggs, they signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract that includes up to $12 million in incentives and a maximum value of $80 million, with $39 million guaranteed.
They then traded for Eagles WR A.J. Brown; the move gives QB Drake Maye a new 1-2 WR duo, which on paper should make the offense under Josh McDaniels even better than it was a year ago.
But the next question that needs to be answered this summer is: who emerges as the #3 WR in terms of targets from Maye?
The Patriots have many receivers who could fight for reps; Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins, and Pop Douglas are all possibilities to assume the mantle. It is going to be a big summer to watch how things unfold with the WR room.
Boutte: Traded Or Valued As An Important Piece?
Boutte, it has been assumed, would be traded at some point this year after the addition of Doubs and Brown. The reasoning is (as noted by NFL insider Albert Breer) that the team will try to do a solid for Boutte by trading him to a team where he can get more reps, which would be invaluable as he’s in a contract year and wants to get paid in 2027.
However, if the Patriots want to keep their best three WRs and put them on the field together, keeping Boutte in the fold would certainly be an enticing option. While Brown is unquestionably the #1 WR, the Patriots haven’t had one in some time. Doubs would be the #2, working the intermediate and middle parts of the field, and Boutte is an explosive #3 option.
Going back to last year, while Boutte wasn’t a high-volume target in the offense, especially after his hamstring injury in Week 4, he was the most efficient WR in the league.
Prior to his injury, he was averaging 3.75 targets per game, with a season high of eight in Week 1 against the Raiders, which, interestingly enough, was his only 100-yard game of the season. After that, he averaged only three targets per game but was incredibly efficient when the team passed to him.
Boutte led the NFL with 12 yards per target among the qualified wide receivers. He finished fourth in yards per reception with 16.7. It is fair to wonder what he could produce, knowing that opposing defenses will place their top secondary players on Brown and Doubs. His TD catch against the Texans in the playoffs was one of the NFL’s top postseason plays.
Despite the narrative that the Patriots can’t develop wide receivers (and that is mostly true), Boutte has been the exception. After playing sparingly as a rookie, Boutte has caught 76 passes for 1,140 yards and 15.0 yards per reception over the past two seasons, with 9 touchdowns on just 114 targets.
He has developed a natural on-field connection with Drake Maye. His skill set thrives even without a heavy volume of targets. Keeping him provides a reliable, established weapon who can take the top off defenses, complicating opposing game plans.
The Case For Kyle Williams
Kyle Williams enters a very pivotal Year 2 in his Patriots career. Williams had some incredible flashes of his potential in 2025. His long 72-yard touchdown against the Bucs last year showed that he has the afterburners to make some explosive plays down the field.
His 37-yard touchdown against the Ravens sparked the Patriots’ comeback and punched their ticket to the playoffs. Maye uncorked a perfectly placed deep ball down the right sideline that Williams hauled in over his shoulder.
However, Williams was frequently out of position and rarely looked in sync with Drake Maye, which is a major reason he had only 10 catches last year (2 catches in the playoffs for 14 yards).
The Patriots asked Williams to get a bit bigger and stronger in 2026, which he did, putting on about 8 pounds of muscle during the offseason. And they wanted him to work on his route-running.
Throughout the spring workouts, Williams has received praise from his fellow players and coaches for his improvement.
“Kyle’s strength and his ability to manage as a speed player have improved,” Mike Vrabel said earlier this spring. “Talking to the strength coaches, he’s embraced that idea of lifting and how critical it is for all players but especially a younger one as a receiver.
“You saw him really have some great flashes last year. The other thing that’s really critical at receiver, once they know more than one position, is that it really opens up their opportunities and what they can do as opposed to just being a one-position receiver.”
That means Williams could be moved around, depending on the defense, to hunt mismatches. He could find himself at the “X” or even in the slot. Will the Patriots trust in Williams enough to trade Boutte? This is an area that training camp, the joint practices, and preseason will hopefully answer
One of the intriguing things that could come out of the unfortunate injury to TE Julian Hill is that the Patriots could opt to play more three-wide receiver sets (11 personnel packages) in 2026.
While Hunter Henry and rookie TE Eli Raridon should see plenty of targets, the idea of 11 personnel would open the door for the wide receivers to see a big uptick in targets. And that could include Kyle Williams and/or Kayshon Boutte.
While it isn’t a knock on Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas, or even Efton Chism, the offense has the opportunity to be more explosive with Williams and Boutte as the third target in the passing game.
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“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
Right on Steve with Kyle Williams and Boutte. The Pats best talent in the 3rd and 4th slot is with those two. If Boutte is content to play in NE, you keep him here. And who says he’s not the #2 over Romeo Doubs… what if Doubs struggles to learn a more complex offense…?….just like Jonnu Smith did. And the early media declaration that Boutte plays in AJ Browns X spot are incorrect. AJ Brown can play inside and out. So can Doubs and Kyle Williams. Not sure on Boutte, but there’s no two that play only outside or slot… Read more »