Patriots can add karma to their list of ongoing problems to start 2026 season

Coming off a magical season in which just about everything went right, the Patriots have suddenly gone from having a guardian angel on their side to facing the full wrath of the NFL karma gods.

And like any situation, it all starts at the top.

I'm not here to judge anyone's decisions, but make no mistake: Mike Vrabel's well-publicized relationship with NFL reporter Dianna Russini did nothing for a Patriots team that overachieved in year one, thanks in large part to their new head coach's bravado and leadership.

In fact, I'd argue that his self-inflicted distraction was a tide-turning event that ruined the good karma he accumulated in his first year back in Foxboro.

From forcing players to confront questions about their head coach's off-field choices to voluntarily missing the final day of the 2026 NFL Draft, Vrabel's actions opened a can of worms that was completely unnecessary and raised justifiable questions about his leadership and character.

Whether the Russini storyline affected how players view Vrabel remains up for debate, and I'd wager most don't care what their head coach does away from the building. However, from a pure "right and wrong" perspective, there's zero doubt Vrabel was on the wrong side of that equation.

That brief but damaging saga ran counter to one of the core principles of the Patriot Way that Vrabel embodied as a player. If anyone should understand the importance of avoiding unnecessary distractions in the team environment, it's the guy who spent most of his career playing for Bill Belichick.

However, I truly believe the Vrabel-Russini storyline set the stage for what's turned out to be a nightmarish start to the 2026 season.

And when you take a step back and look at how things have unfolded, it's clear karma has come back to bite the Patriots.

From an embarassment of riches to just embarassing

For years, Patriots fans desperately waited for the front office to fortify the receiver room with top-end talent.

In 2025, Stefon Diggs gave the team a legitimate 1,000-yard receiver and a highly respected voice in the locker room. Most importantly, he showcased terrific chemistry with Drake Maye.

Yet instead of maintaining a good thing going, the Patriots set their sights on upgrading the position. They raised eyebrows by signing Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million deal—a hefty price for a player coming off career-best numbers: 55 catches for 724 yards and six touchdowns.

Of course, that was just part one of the receiver room overhaul.

Trading for A.J. Brown was supposed to be the move that put the Patriots over the top.

With Brown and Doubs cemented as their top two options, the Patriots elected to trade Kayshon Boutte—arguably Maye's most trusted target—for a backup safety and a 2028 seventh-round pick.

Boy, all of those moves have backfired.

Brown barely had time to dirty his uniform before he suffered a high ankle sprain that landed him on injured reserve.

Meanwhile, Doubs committed an unconscionable fourth-quarter drop against the Seahawks and has largely been a non-factor through his first three games as a Patriot. He already seems to have lost confidence—a troubling sign for a player who got $35 million guaranteed at signing.

To make matters worse, Diggs has already racked up 13 catches for 135 yards and three touchdowns for the Washington Commanders. Meanwhile, Boutte has caught six passes with the Houston Texans—the same number as Doubs at a fraction of the price.

And to top it all off, a front office and coaching staff that clearly are invested in making the Kyle Williams experiment work continue to look foolish for believing in a big year-two jump. Williams' questionable toughness and inconsistent route-running continue to show up far more than his game-breaking speed.

The Patriots have suffered incredibly bad injury luck

A year ago, the Patriots seemed invincible from an injury standpoint.

We haven't even hit October and it's been the complete opposite.

After essentially making it through the 2025 season unscathed, the reigning AFC champions have gone from the luckiest team to one of the most unfortunate through three games.

The bad injury luck started in the spring when free-agent addition Julian Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury. Expected to fill a prominent role as the blocking complement to Hunter Henry, his absence has revealed the lack of depth at the position.

Of course, losing your No. 2 tight end pales in comparison to losing arguably your most talented and accomplished overall player. And as if losing Brown for the first third of the season wasn't bad enough, the Patriots suffered a catastrophic blow to their razor-thin offensive line when longtime starter Michael Onwenu broke his ankle in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

To rub salt in an open wound, the right-guard situation worsened on Tuesday when the team placed Greg Van Roten on IR. He didn't even last one game as Onwenu's replacement before suffering a major injury himself.

The injury bug has bitten the Patriots at every level, too. Rookie tight end Eli Raridon left the Steelers game with a thigh injury and didn't suit up in Week 3—Ditto for starting safety Craig Woodson and outside linebacker Dre'Mont Jones.

Right now, the Patriots are running out of bodies at critical positions. And with Maye struggling mightily, that only puts more pressure on the rest of the roster to step up.

But with injuries playing a massive role thus far, things could get even worse as the season wears on.

The Drake Maye dilemma

Finally, we can't talk about bad karma without focusing on the season's most important storyline: Drake Maye's regression.

Did his disappointing playoff run set him back a major step? Did he actually suffer a shoulder injury that's still affecting him today? If so, did he and the team handle it properly this offseason?

Meanwhile, it's fair to question whether all the moves the front office—aka Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden, and John "Stretch" Streicher—made were actually in the best interest of their best player.

Was swapping out Diggs and Boutte for the high-priced combo of Brown and Doubs a wise use of resources? You have to consider the chemistry factor here, and there's no doubt Maye trusted Diggs and Boutte in big situations.

Furthermore, did Vrabel's headline-grabbing offseason affect his relationship with Maye, or his ability to get through to him? It's fair to say the head coach's bravado and confidence had to take a hit, at least in the immediate aftermath of the Russini story becoming public.

I wouldn't dare say Vrabel lost the locker room or can't connect with his player and coaching staff.

But I would say something feels off about the 2026 team's vibe compared to the ultra-tight, highly competitive unit that reminded you of the dynasty days.

Unfortunately, that energy is gone.

And until Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye get their mojo back, this team will struggle to string together wins—let alone make a legitimate run at the Lombardi Trophy.

Hopefully, for the sake of Patriot Nation, there's a bit of good karma left...somewhere.

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