The New England Patriots wrapped up their spring offseason training program with a mandatory minicamp earlier this month, and it seemed like a much-needed return to normalcy in Foxboro.
The Patriots had just completed their trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for star wide receiver A.J. Brown the week prior. No new details emerged regarding head coach Mike Vrabel's alleged affair with former NFL insider Dianna Russini. By the time minicamp kicked off on June 9, the focus seemed to shift squarely back to football, with clips of Drake Maye connecting with Brown on back-shoulder throws filling social media timelines, and Vrabel taking the podium for press conferences that felt exactly like early-June pressers should.
Who was the biggest winner of the Patriots’ spring? Vrabel has a strong case.
April’s draft could not have been more awkward, with Vrabel addressing the Russini story less than an hour before the Las Vegas Raiders made the No. 1 overall selection. During that impromptu presser, Vrabel announced that he would be stepping away on Day 3 of the draft to be with his family, essentially skipping one of the most important days on his work calendar. The Patriots wound up making six total selections on Day 3, including five picks in Rounds 6 and 7.
But since additional photos of Vrabel and Russini dating back to 2020 surfaced from Page Six in late April, the story has noticeably fizzled. Vrabel and the Patriots have been back to business as usual, and that’s a major win for the team entering training camp.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that it’s been a great spring for everyone in Foxboro. Here are some of the Patriots’ other winners along with Vrabel, as well as their biggest losers since the start of the new league year.
Winner: Drake Maye
No player in the Patriots’ locker room should be happier than Maye right now. Unlike 2025, he entered the spring fully versed in Josh McDaniels’ offense looking to start building, instead of learning. The team also surrounded him with three new pass-catching weapons in Brown, Romeo Doubs, and rookie tight end Eli Raridon, including a new-look offensive line featuring former first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker.
There haven’t been many negative reports regarding how Maye’s looked in practice so far this offseason, and there’s zero reason to expect that to change come the start of training camp.
“He knows a hell of a lot more than he did last year at this time,” McDaniels said after a recent practice. “He's trying to really turn the corner and try to perfect some things or trying to learn a few new things and evolve as a player and offense. He's had a great attitude. Super fun to be around every day."
Loser: Gabe Jacas
There was a lot of buzz building around Jacas when the Patriots moved up on Day 2 of the draft to get him. But NFL minicamps are now over, and Jacas is the only 2026 second-round pick who hasn’t yet signed.
Rookie contracts are scaled, so the hold-up almost certainly involves injury guarantees. Vrabel confirmed recently that Jacas had a clean-up procedure done to his knee.
The good news? The majority of the spring program is voluntary, and with no padded practices, it’s hard for defensive players to make huge gains. The bad news is that Jacas hasn’t participated at all to this point, and he appears to be firmly behind Elijah Ponder, as Patriots reporter Mike Giardi has written, on the depth chart as a result.
Winner: A.J. Brown
According to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, Brown has looked the part of a game-changing boundary receiver since arriving in Foxboro on June 2. He appears to be building an instant rapport with Maye, and that should be music to Patriots fans’ ears right now.
“He looks healthy, rejuvenated and already looks like he's been working with Maye for a while,” Bedard wrote. “Their backshoulders on third down and in the red zone are going to be impossible to stop. He's as advertised so far, and it's still ridiculously early in his tenure.”
Winner: Eli Raridon
It took a devastating injury to tight end Julian Hill for Patriots fans to realize just how much he was in the team’s plan for 2026. With Hill now out for the season, the arrow is pointing way up on rookie Eli Raridon.
The Patriots clearly targeted Raridon on Day 2 of the draft. He could now be an even bigger part of the offense as soon as September.
“There's so much more to kind of be captured from his college tape,” Patriots tight ends coach Thomas Brown said after Raridon had a strong finish to minicamp.
Raridon will be a major player to watch at the start of training camp next month.
Loser: Kayshon Boutte
Boutte endeared himself to the fan base during the Patriots 2025 run, and he hasn’t done anything to change that despite being the subject of trade rumors this offseason.
After skipping the voluntary portion of the spring program, Boutte was back on the field making plays at minicamp. He’s in a tough spot, as he essentially plays the same position as Brown, who will likely rarely come off the field when healthy this season.
Boutte’s at least handling himself like a true pro. There’s a chance he finds a more prominent role this year on another team.
Winner: Cory Durden
The Patriots lost one of their most underrated 2025 performers in Khyiris Tonga, who left for a better free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in March. That decision paved the way for Cory Durden to start at nose tackle next to Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.
So far, all signs point to Durden running with the job in 2026 and potentially beyond.
“Just taking that next step,” Durden recently told reporters of his personal goals, “whether that’s making the Pro Bowl or whatever it is. I feel like the sky’s the limit now.”
Loser: Christian Gonzalez
The real loser here is probably the Patriots’ front office, because there’s no reason for Gonzalez’s extension to linger this far into the offseason other than it being at the request of Gonzalez’s camp.
The Patriots picked up Gonzalez’s fifth-year option, which guarantees him an $18.1 million salary in 2027. The issue is that he’s only due to make $2.8 million in 2026, per Spotrac, in Year 4 of his rookie contract. The Patriots will have to fix that in some fashion prior to Week 1.
New England is obviously preparing for Maye’s mega extension, which looms after this season. Good NFL teams lock up their top draft picks — especially those who play premium positions.
There should be little doubt that Gonzalez’s deal eventually gets done. But it’s frustrating that this wasn’t taken care of months ago.
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