The Patriots begin their 2025 training camp next week, and there will inevitably be a lot of eyes on Foxboro for the first offseason under Mike Vrabel. There is a lot of curiosity about how the new regime will operate moving forward, especially with so many new players on the roster, and there's plenty of excitement regarding what they can accomplish this fall.
Much of that will depend on the performance of their top rookies, with an emphasis on left tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and wide receiver Kyle Williams. Boosting the offense and giving Drake Maye the best chance of being successful in his second year will likely make the most headlines, but they might run into a problem before that can even happen.
The team is expected to start their summer practices with Henderson still not under contract. He is the final rookie to be signed, and based on the latest developments with Chargers' rookie receiver Tre Harris, it might become more challenging to get a deal done with the running back than Vrabel and Co. hoped for.
The Patriots might be in for a rude awakening with TreVeyon Henderson
It was announced over the weekend that Harris will be holding out from the Chargers' rookie camp over contract negotiations. He is the first second-round draft pick to make this decision, but it's unlikely he will be the only one.
Because the Browns and Texans chose to give their high second-rounders a fully guaranteed contract, seemingly setting the bar for every other team in the league with their picks, rookies are now looking for the same, including Harris. That could be what Henderson is hoping for, too, which SB Nation's Justin Mosqueda believes could be the case moving forward.
“It’s hard to project who will be holding out and who won’t be, as those decisions are made on an individual basis. But it wouldn’t shock me if agents around the league got together and advised their players to not suit up until they get contracts inked.”
Given that agents are always looking for the most money for their clients, there's a good chance that Henderson, who has already made it clear he wants a better contract by not signing his yet, will have a cloud over the Patriots ' heads regarding this situation when training camp begins.
It's something they'll need to resolve as soon as possible, even if that means potentially giving Henderson more money than they were anticipating. It doesn't mean they should let him rob the bank, but they still have around $60 million in cap space to spend for the season, so they can certainly afford a nice contract for a rookie projected to become a significant part of their offense.
The situation needs to be dealt with quickly, as it's not something they can afford to linger with as they begin practicing again. Hopefully, the executives can handle it sooner rather than later.