Since Bill Belichick decided to move on from longtime kicker Stephen Gostkowski, the Patriots have struggled to find a reliable option to replace him. They were fortunate to have Nick Folk on the team for four years, some of which were the best of his career. But the choice to keep rookie Chad Ryland over the trusted veteran immediately backfired in a way that has taken too long to recover from.
That led to the signing of the well-traveled Joey Slye last year, who began his Patriots tenure looking like their special teams saving grace, only to eventually struggle as the season progressed and became more of a liability than a help. It's why Mike Vrabel decided to trade up in this year's draft for the best kicker of the class in Andy Borregales, hoping he will be their next reliable fix.
The rookie has excelled in practices so far and has already seemingly beaten out the competition to earn the role as the starter this fall. While that is a positive sign, it's still risky to entrust a rookie with such an important role, which makes Slye's impressive performance with the Titans that much more noteworthy.
The Patriots need to hope Andy Borregales is the kicker of the future
Although Borregales hasn't shown any signs of leaving the Patriots concerned about his potential, there is always a risk when throwing a rookie into a starting role immediately, especially at a position as critical as a kicker.
That's why seeing Slye complete the longest field goal of his career at practice last week stings a bit, as Vrabel and Co. chose not to re-sign the veteran in free agency in favor of taking a rookie in this year's draft.
SLYE FROM 66 YARDS‼️ pic.twitter.com/jGzsRsuxLP
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) July 26, 2025
Had this occurred during a game, it would have matched an NFL record while also surpassing Slye's career-long mark, which he set with the Patriots last year. He completed a 63-yarder during the 2024 season and put that kick to shame with this completion for the Titans last weekend.
While it may only be practice, it shows that Slye is still a capable player when called upon and can still be a game-changer if asked to execute an impossible kick.
That wasn't necessarily the issue during his lone season in New England; it became more about his consistency and reliability, which fell off later in the year. The Titans hope that won't be an issue this upcoming season, and the Patriots hope they made the right choice by giving Borregales the start ahead of a veteran.
They should be in good standing for that to happen, as the rookie has received rave reviews from current and former coaches. We'll just have to wait and see once he's given the green light in Week 1 if he can live up to it all.