It was a Super Bowl to forget for New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell, allowing 14 pressures last week against the Seattle Seahawks.

Those 14 pressures mark a season-worst in any game this year from an offensive lineman. Campbell revealed to the media that he had been playing with a torn ligament and was not 100%.

Campbell got injured in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, forcing him to be carted off the field and missing four games. The injury was an MCL sprain that never fully healed when he returned to action.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was sacked 21 times during the NFL playoffs, setting a new record and surpassing Joe Burrow, who was sacked 19 times in 2021. Both QBs went on to lose the Super Bowl.

After declining to speak to the media after the Super Bowl, Campbell spoke on Tuesday about the criticism he has received, saying, “When you don’t perform, obviously, I was [drafted] high, paid a lot. So people expect a certain thing, and I expect more of myself. So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously, it sucks. But it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”

The Patriots drafted Campbell with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, hoping for him to be the franchise left tackle and protect Maye. “I’m gonna fight and die to protect him with everything I got,” Campbell said after he was drafted.

The Patriots still have high hopes for Campbell to be their franchise left tackle, despite allowing 29 pressures in the postseason.

On Friday, New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs pleaded not guilty to felony strangulation and other criminal charges in an incident with his personal chef.

The arraignment was postponed until after the Super Bowl so Diggs could play in the championship game. Diggs is next scheduled for a pretrial hearing on April 1.

The chef told officers that she and Diggs had argued about money that Diggs allegedly owed her. The incident happened on December 2 when Diggs “slapped her across the face” and “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck,” causing her to be unable to breathe, according to court records.

A day before the hearing, Diggs made a last-minute change in attorneys, appointing Mitchell Schuster.

Schuster said he “categorically denies these allegations” and that the dispute over money is the motivating factor.

Schuster also added that he doesn’t think there will be a plea deal because he doesn’t “think he is liable or guilty in any way, shape or form.”

Investigators have said that the chef first reported the incident to the police on December 16, two weeks after the altercation.

The Patriots have come out saying they are fully supporting Diggs during this time.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was not part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, joining former Patriots coach Bill Belichick as non-Hall of Famers this year.

Kraft was a first-time Hall of Fame finalist but did not receive the 40 of 50 votes needed to be selected into the prestigious club. The full 2026 Hall of Fame class was announced on Thursday at the NFL Honors.

This comes in the wake of a controversial decision to keep Belichick out of the Hall of Fame, in what was a bizarre outcome. Kraft being left out is not as egregious as Belichick not being inducted, but Kraft’s status as a six-time Super Bowl-winning owner probably warrants induction into the Hall of Fame.

Kraft spoke on Belichick being left out, saying, “As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time, and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.”

Some people speculated that Belichick’s exclusion was to get Kraft into the Hall of Fame, but that was quickly put to rest by the results. It is also speculated that Kraft’s behavior outside the Hall of Fame case impacted his Hall of Fame case.

Kraft, 84, has bigger worries this week as his Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the Super Bowl and look to add another Lombardi Trophy to their case.

The jerseys for the big game on Sunday have been released, and the New England Patriots will be debuting a new look, while the Seattle Seahawks are 0-2 in the uniform combination they chose. Both teams will have a new special patch on their jerseys.

The NFL has added a “USA 250” patch to the uniforms this season, celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in November that they would be celebrating this throughout 2026, starting on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Patriots, being the home team, got first choice of jersey combinations and chose to debut a new look with white jerseys and white pants. The Patriots have worn their white jerseys in the Super Bowl before, but have yet to do white-on-white. The Patriots are 4-2 in Super Bowls with these jerseys, including a win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

The last time the home team wore white uniforms was five years ago, when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore their white jerseys.

Bad news for the Seahawks: the Patriots are undefeated in white jerseys this season, going 6-0, including an NFC Championship win over the Denver Broncos.

Some good news for the Seahawks is that the last two times a team has worn white in the Super Bowl, they have lost. The Kansas City Chiefs last season and the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.

The Seahawks and the Patriots will look to get their first Super Bowl wins with this uniform combination. The jersey will almost certainly not be the reason either team wins, but both teams will take any good superstitions into the biggest game of the season.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will be welcoming five new members to Canton this season, amidst the Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft controversy. Along with Belichick and Kraft, two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning will not be joining the Hall of Fame either.

The five new members inducted into the Hall of Fame are: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig.

Brees and Fitzgerald were the only first ballot Hall of Famers this year, and rightfully so. Brees is a one-time Super Bowl champion and finished with over 80,000 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns. Fitzgerald is second all-time in receiving yards behind the legendary Jerry Rice at 17,492 receiving yards and adding 121 receiving touchdowns. What is arguably most impressive about Fitzgerald’s career is that he played with 21 different starting quarterbacks.

Kuechly, Vinatieri, and Craig have all been on the ballot in years past, finally getting into Canton this year.

Craig waited the longest to join the prestigious club, having retired 30 years earlier. Craig is most known for being the first player ever to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.

Although Kuechly had a short career, he was undoubtedly one of the best linebackers of all time, winning defensive player of the year in 2013 and earning five first-team All-Pro selections.

Vinatieri was the one member of the Patriots dynasty to make the Hall of Fame this year, arguably being the greatest kicker of all time. Vinatieri has had numerous clutch kicks in the postseason and was a crucial part of the Patriots’ dynasty.

Some of the new names on the ballot next season include Ben Roethlisberger, Adrian Peterson and Rob Gronkowski.

On Tuesday evening, it was reported that eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick would not make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot.

Belichick failed to receive the 40 of 50 votes he needed to make it, in a puzzling and confusing result.

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With 333 career wins and hoisting the Lombardi trophy more than any other coach in the history of the sport, Bill Belichick is somehow not a first ballot Hall of Famer. Former players under Belichick have been extremely vocal about this bizarre decision. Former New England Patriot Damien Woody took to X to voice his frustrations, saying whoever didn’t vote for Belichick “should never have a vote again.” Belichick won 17 division titles and nine conference championships, the most by any coach in the Super Bowl era.

Patrick Mahomes also took to X to voice his thoughts on the situation, posting, “Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible.”

Some wonder whether the reason the legendary coach was left out was politics and his off-field behavior. Belichick was considered a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, and some would argue that the Hall of Fame is even what it is without arguably the best coach of all time.

The Hall of Fame voting committee is made up of veteran NFL reporters and former football figures. The committee will have to answer for this decision as the entire football world seems stunned.

Belichick, 73, is currently the head coach at the University of North Carolina and is heading into his second season with the university.

The New England Patriots have named Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2024 season, sending rookie Drake Maye to the bench for the time being. Brissett played for the Patriots as a rookie in 2016 and has since earned a reputation as a reliable journeyman quarterback.

Maye, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will begin the season as Brissett’s backup, ahead of third-stringer Joe Milton III. While Maye has been described as “impressive” by the Patriots coaching staff, head coach Jerod Mayo said that Brissett’s experience will benefit the team while the rookie continues to develop.

“I feel like we’re all on the same page from an organizational perspective,” Mayo said. “There were a lot of factors that led to this choice. I think the hard part is thinking in the short term and the long term at the same time. As an organization, though, we feel like Jacoby gives us the best chance to win right now.”

Of the six quarterbacks drafted in the first round this year, Maye is just one of two who is healthy but will not start Week 1. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix all earned the starting job. J.J. McCarthy likely would have started for the Vikings but suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month. Maye’s only fellow backup will be Michael Penix Jr., who had virtually no chance of taking the starting job from newly acquired Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

While it may seem like Maye is beginning his career on the back foot in comparison to his rookie peers, there is considerable evidence to suggest that giving quarterbacks time to develop behind a starter helps them in the long run.

The Patriots are especially well known for this, having allowed Tom Brady to sit behind Drew Bledsoe for nearly his entire rookie season. He led the team to a championship the following year. More recently, the team was also patient in handling quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who eventually went to the 49ers and started in the Super Bowl in 2019.

Brissett is another quarterback who did not start for the Patriots in his rookie season, and while he has not attained the success of other New England passers, he has still become a solid NFL player. While Deshaun Watson served an 11-game suspension last season, Brissett started for the Browns and did well enough to keep the team in playoff contention.

In fact, the only notable failure in Patriots quarterback development in recent memory is Mac Jones, who started for the team right out of the gate and even made it to the Pro Bowl. Jones failed to sustain this momentum in subsequent seasons and the team around him cratered. He is now backing up Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. Maybe Maye is better off for now.

The New England Patriots agreed to a trade with the Atlanta Falcons Wednesday, sending star linebacker Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick. While the Falcons add a key defender to an already exciting roster, the Patriots seem increasingly focused on a rebuild.

Judon and the Patriots have been at odds for weeks as the pass rusher prepares for the final season of his four-year, $54.5 million contract. While the team hesitated to extend him, Judon reportedly refused to participate in pads-on practice, instead watching from the sidelines.

In 2021 and 2022, Judon earned a combined 29 sacks and 120 tackles, proving to be a leader on a highly respected Patriots defense. Though he spent most of his 2023 season on the sidelines with a torn bicep, the 32-year-old clearly still believes he deserves to be paid like a star.

Despite trading for Judon in the midst of a contract dispute, Atlanta has reportedly waited for the eight-year veteran to join the team before ironing out its own extension details. This has already proven problematic for other teams this summer, as the Jets are currently having serious issues with newly acquired defender Haason Reddick, who has already demanded a trade since the team acquired him from the Eagles in April.

While he seeks a new deal, Judon could cause all sorts of problems for the Falcons, from declining a mandatory physical to a continued holdout from practices and preseason games.

For the Patriots, a veteran like Judon likely didn’t mesh well with the team’s aims to rebuild, which could explain the disagreement on future payment. While this may make sense for the team long-term, it also puts the defense in a precarious position for the coming season. Expectations were already low for the new-look Patriots, featuring new head coach Jerod Mayo and rookie quarterback Drake Maye, but several young defensive players may have benefitted from playing with Judon, a four-time Pro-Bowler.

As for the Falcons, who seem to be focused on immediate success after acquiring quarterback Kirk Cousins, adding a player like Judon could answer a years-long question for the team at the linebacker position. The defense will likely be the weak link on a team with such a dynamic offense, so a veteran presence could be extremely valuable if the two sides can reach an agreement in the preseason.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still on the trade block, but the team has reportedly not yet received an acceptable offer. The Browns and Patriots are both considered contenders to acquire Aiyuk, while several reports claim that the Steelers and Commanders have prepared offers as well.

The relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers has become somewhat icy in recent months, as the wide receiver has tried but failed to negotiate a considerable contract extension. Aiyuk, who will make $14 million in 2024, wants a multi-year deal on par with other star receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, but San Francisco has hesitated to meet these requests. As a result, the receiver has requested to be sent elsewhere.

In Aiyuk’s trade request, several insiders reported that he approved of being sent to four teams. The Commanders have not yet made a serious offer. The Browns reportedly considered a deal that involved star receiver Amari Cooper, while the Patriots made an offer involving Kendrick Bourne. Neither conversation has resulted in a finalized trade.

Pittsburgh, who originally abandoned talks, stepped back in this week as a new suitor. The Steelers’ original issue was price, as the team did not seem willing to include a player in their offer. Instead, the team wished to use draft picks to acquire the star. It is unclear whether that stance has softened in new talks, but reports have surfaced that San Francisco may be seeking at least two first round picks in such an arrangement.

The 49ers’ offense remains stacked with or without Aiyuk, which is likely a motivating factor in the team’s decision to deny his contract demands. Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings figure to get more targets down the sidelines, while tight end George Kittle remains a key threat as well. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey leads the offense from the backfield as the NFL’s top rusher.

Aiyuk finished the 2023 season with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, cementing him as one of the best at his position. The 49ers’ future seems secure, but with less than a month until the 2024 season begins, the path forward for Aiyuk is anything but.

Tom Brady was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame Wednesday, donning the red jacket in a ceremony that included owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick.

Brady became the 35th member of the team’s Hall of Fame, though it likely didn’t require much deliberation to induct the seven-time Super Bowl winner. Committees in Canton should have a similarly easy time in a few years. In his address, Kraft offered kind words to Brady and said that he wanted to hold a special ceremony for a “one-in-a-kind player.”

While the owner shared a meaningful moment with Brady during the ceremony, an exchange between the quarterback and Belichick more effectively recalled memories of the team’s dynastic run.

“Thank you for all that you’ve done for us,” Belichick said to Brady in his speech. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And thank you for the example and model that you’ve been for all of us, on a daily basis, for 20 years. You’re unbelievable.”

In his induction speech several minutes later, Brady returned the favor.

“Thank you for your tireless commitment to develop and push me to be my very best,” Brady said to Belichick. “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you, it was us. Let me make this crystal clear — there is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”

Since Brady’s run in New England came to an end in 2019, public relationships between the team’s former titans have seemingly eroded. Kraft and Belichick have been at odds for years now, with Kraft reportedly going so far as to advise the Atlanta Falcons to avoid the head coach. Belichick did not have a job in the NFL in 2023. Brady’s relationship with the two figures also reportedly grew contentious and ultimately led him to finish his career with the Buccaneers.

In recent months, however, it seems that the key contributors to the Patriots dynasty have gone to great lengths to pull back the curtain and dispel rumors of hard feelings. Countless Patriots legends were in attendance for Brady’s roast last month, and this ceremony was a similarly united outing.

Retired NFL star Antonio Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week. A recent U.S. bankruptcy court report suggests that Brown owes nearly $3 million to eight different creditors.

Brown confirmed the report through his ill-reputed news organization, CTEESPN, which he runs through social media.

“NFL legend Antonio Brown has filed for bankruptcy today,” the CTEESPN post read. “He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2027. He will be releasing new music this summer. He is also the founder of the most trusted source in all sports. The generational run continues.”

Once an extremely popular wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown’s public image has suffered dramatically in recent years. During unsuccessful stints with the Raiders, Patriots and Buccaneers, the wide receiver had several public breakdowns, which raised serious questions about his mental health. 

His NFL career ended in January 2022 when he removed his shirt and left the field in the middle of a Bucs regular season game against the New York Jets. He was cut on the spot and has not played another snap of football.

Brown has piled up countless legal charges that have tarnished his reputation off the field. In 2019, Britney Taylor, Brown’s former trainer, and another woman accused him of sexual assault. He and Taylor agreed to a settlement in 2021.

In 2020, Brown pleaded no contest to felony burglary and battery charges for attacking a moving truck driver with an accomplice. He received two years of probation. In the past two years, he has caused further controversy for allegedly exposing himself in a pool in Dubai, posting explicit videos of himself and women on Snapchat and receiving multiple arrest warrants for failing to pay child support. All the incidents listed do not comprise the entirety of his legal troubles and controversies during and after his playing career.

Brown has consistently blamed his poor behavior on CTE, arguing that head injuries he suffered in his football career have made life difficult. Despite earning about $80 million during his NFL career, he now claims to have less than $50,000 in assets to his name.

The New England Patriots are reportedly interested in extending defensive tackle Christian Barmore after a strong 2023 season. The budding defensive star, entering his fourth season in the league, has struggled with injuries but earned 8.5 sacks last year.

After a full but largely uneventful rookie season in 2021, the second-round pick out of Alabama went to the injured reserve in 2022 with a knee injury. This setback dulled his momentum for a time, but the 24-year-old came back stronger last season, earning praise from former coach Bill Belichick and others.

“Every day, it’s just grinding so hard in the weight room,” Barmore said last year. “I’m in there all day every day. I’m doing way more training than I ever did to keep my body in shape for a longer season.”

With one year remaining on his four-year rookie contract, ESPN and other sources are reporting that the Patriots plan to lock down the defenseman well ahead of time. Under new head coach Jerod Mayo, it will be important for the team to maintain its young talent, particularly on defense, while it builds to improve several shortcomings.

Roughly parallel to Barmore’s NFL journey thus far, cornerback Christian Gonzalez will return for his second season for the Patriots in 2024, further bolstering the offense. The young player proved to be a rising star last season before an injury derailed his promising start.

While New England merely has to nurture its budding defense, an entire rebuild is necessary on offense.

The Patriots also have serious depth issues in their receiving core and on the offensive line. Acquisitions like Barmore are important, but the team has a long way to go to regain relevance in a crowded AFC East division.

With the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots… will select a quarterback. That much seems certain. But with one more month to prepare, the team still seems uncertain in its search for a new leader of the franchise.

When New England traded Mac Jones to the Jaguars earlier this month after three erratic seasons, the team’s intentions became crystal clear. Owner Robert Kraft didn’t have to snidely confirm it for everyone to reach the conclusion on their own.

“As a fan, I put my fan hat on and I definitely would,” Kraft said Tuesday about the team’s potential plans to draft a passer. “In the end, you can’t win in this league consistently unless you have a first-rate quarterback and a first-rate coach.”

At the latter position, Kraft and the Patriots have already taken a gamble, parting ways with legendary coach Bill Belichick and promoting Jerod Mayo as the program’s new leader.

Cutting ties with Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl winner, was much harder than dealing away Jones, an underperforming quarterback entering his fourth season. Now, the new-look Patriots must find the face of their offense. Three options may be available.

Even when Jones was on New England’s roster, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye was a front-runner to take the Patriots’ starting job. The team reportedly sent a caravan of coaches and scouts to attend UNC’s Pro Day on Thursday, officially marking Maye as a top option.

“Drake Maye had a fantastic interview at the combine,” Mayo said earlier this week. “He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability.”

Maye was once considered a rival to USC’s Caleb Williams for the first overall pick, but he regressed slightly in the 2023 season. He is now in contention with LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, another of New England’s options.

Unlike Maye, who is best known for his arm and surprising mobility, Daniels enters the 2024 draft as a profoundly athletic quarterback who makes up for his slender build with rushing ability and accuracy. Drawing comparisons to Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray and Tyrod Taylor, he could allow New England to expand its offensive attack if the team drafts him.

A month ago, Maye and Daniels were considered the only options for New England, but the meteoric rise of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy on many draft boards launched him into the conversation for the third overall pick.

McCarthy is coming off a national championship victory with the Wolverines’ run-first offense, but a solid showing at the combine and consistent praise from former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh seems to have teams believing that he has more to show.

Wide receiver Devante Parker signed a three-year deal with the New England Patriots Wednesday, extending his stay with head coach Bill Belichick as he attempts to rebuild his dynasty. Parker’s contract could be worth as much as $33 million and will include $14 million in guarantees and per-game bonuses.

Parker was entering the final year of his old deal with the Patriots this season, a four-year, $30.5 million contract originally negotiated by the Miami Dolphins in 2019. He could now be a Patriot for the foreseeable future as management attempts to revitalize the team’s stagnant offense.

Parker is not the only offensive piece New England is looking to sign, as several reports suggest that the team is pursuing free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was recently released by the Arizona Cardinals. Instead of a conflicting signing, Parker’s new deal could actually be an attempt to sway Hopkins further by adding support around him on offense. These signings are expected to help quarterback Mac Jones, who had a dreadful sophomore campaign after a promising rookie season.

Before arriving in New England via trade in 2022, Parker played seven seasons for the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him out of Louisville with the 14th overall pick in 2015. Though he has never appeared in a Pro Bowl, he has proven to be a competent receiver over the course of his career. In his first season with the struggling Patriots, he caught 31 of 47 targets for 539 yards and three touchdowns.

If New England manages to secure Hopkins and pair him with Parker, it could be a massive upgrade for new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

“I think the big thing for us right now is everybody is starting with a clean slate,” O’Brien said at his introductory press conference in April. “What you did in the past, whether it’s a player, coach, or anybody in the organization, it really has no bearing on what happens moving forward.”

A misunderstanding of COVID procedure has spelled trouble for New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton. He has remained away from the team until Thursday due to tests “conducted away from NFL facilities,” the club announced Monday.

Newton’s absence comes after he traveled to a Patriots-approved medical appointment that required him to leave the New England region, according to the team’s statement. “He received daily Covid tests, which were all negative. Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility,” the statement read.

Although coach Bill Belichick has tentatively named Newton the starter, backup quarterback Mac Jones has been sensational and getting first-team reps will only push him closer to the starting gig.

Newton had taken No. 1 reps throughout training camp until Monday. He started both preseason games and is 12-of-16 passing for 152 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He has played a total of 29 snaps. Jones has been the No. 2 quarterback, coming in behind Newton at practice and in the first two preseason games. He is 26-of-38 passing for 233 yards, with no touchdowns and interceptions, over two preseason games. He has played 77 snaps.

Newton has continued to participate virtually in team activities but missed practices Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Wednesday practice is the first of two with the New York Giants in Foxborough.

Veteran safety Devin McCourty, a longtime Patriots captain who filmed a public service announcement about vaccinations with fellow captain Matthew Slater, was asked about vaccinations Monday as it relates to Newton’s status. “I think I’ve said it to a lot to guys, and the little video me and Slate did — vaccinations is a personal decision. That’s up to each individual,” he said. “And as far as how the team views that, and how we go forward, that’s a Bill Belichick question. I feel like he would tee that up, and knock that out of the park. So I’m going to leave that for Bill and let him handle that.”

As a Patriots fan one of my most vivid memories of watching them play for the past 15 years (besides the three Super Bowls) is when Stephen Gostkowski went from an incredibly consistent kicker to mediocre almost over night.

It was during the 2015 AFC Championship that the Patriots played against Peyton Manning‘s Broncos and while I can’t remember the exact play, I remember it being the first time Gostkowski missed an extra point. It was shocking, other than my Dad, Gostkowski has been the most consistent thing in my life. But from there it was all down hill.

After five more painful years where you feel unsettled during every extra point and field goal over 40 yards, the Pat’s benched Gostkowski last year “due to an injury” and used a shaky rotating cast of free agent kickers but never managed to find the right fit. With the 2020 season just three weeks away, that still seems to be the case.

“I think we’re in position, hopefully, to string some good days together and have a lot of little things start to fit together in the overall big picture,” Bill Belichick said. The Patriots have brought back the kicker that they landed on last year Nick Folk to compete with rookie Justin Rohrwasser for the starting position. While Folk was consistent last year, he wasn’t spectacular – you can’t really trust him beyond 40 yards.

The most underrated part of football team is a reliable kicker that you never have to worry about and can hit clutch kicks. It is crippling when you have a game-winning drive down two or score a touchdown to bring the score to one and your kicker comes on the field and shanks a 35-yard extra point or field goal then runs of the field before the fans in the stadium can process what happened and start pelting him with plastic beer cups. Unfortunately, it’s an experience that most teams have to endure – just ask the Bears, Ravens, Bills and Vikings.

The Patriots have, by far, the highest number of players who have opted out of the 2020 season with the deadline to do so looming. On Sunday, they added another name to a list: tight end Matt LaCosse. Others who have previously opted out include star linebacker Dont’a Hightower and running back Branden Bolden.

To be sure, this is not a massive loss – LaCosse is more of a depth piece than an important starter for the team. While the Pats were likely to play the two rookie tight ends that they drafted, it would have been very helpful to have had a veteran tight end around who knows the Pats offense, which relies heavily on tight ends in the running and passing game.

The NFL has been pushing to move up the player opt-out deadline in order to save themselves from having no players left to put on the field by the time that September rolls around. Everything about this start seems precarious especially in the context of the MLB’s horrendous restart. With much larger rosters and personnel groups, it seems unlikely that they would be able to contain outbreaks within teams without some sort of bubble like what the NBA has done.

Right now, it feels like the NFL is relying on the country being in a much better place in September than it is now, which does not seem like a good bet.

Patriots linebacker and defensive captain Dont’a Hightower is opting out of the 2020 NFL season. Hightower, who became a first-time father on July 16, joins four other Patriots notably including offensive lineman Marcus Cannon and running back, Brandon Bolden. According to the NFL’s guidelines regarding players who opt out, Hightower can make $350,000 if the NFL considers him at a higher risk than usual and $150,000 for the year if the NFL does not consider him at risk.

This is a significant blow to the Patriots and possibly to the NFL’s restart plan as a whole. Hightower has been a crux of the Patriot’s defense for the majority of the 2010s, and he has had a knack for making big plays in big moments, most notably his stopping of Marshawn Lynch on the one-yard line during the Seahawks Super Bowl,  which led to the famous Malcolm Butler interception and his strip-sack of Matt Ryan in the Falcons’ Super Bowl, which opened the door for the infamous Patriots 28-3 comeback. It’s a crack in the armor for the NFL’s restart plan – with a more significant player choosing to opt-out, this could start a trend that may gut some teams of their talent for the upcoming season.

With the MLB’s mostly disastrous restart so far and the NBA and UFC’s smooth restarts up to this point, it seems that the only way to successfully get a sport going in a COVID world is to employ some kind of bubble where you can keep all of your athletes in the same place. The NFL has no such plans and the massive roster size for NFL teams pose higher risk for players.

In what has been a frankly bizarre past 12 months for Antonio Brown that has seen him wear out his welcome in Oakland before playing a single game, getting cut from the Patriots after criticizing owner Robert Kraft, and having several reported domestic disputes, the NFL wide receiver announced his retirement on his Twitter account Friday. This just seems to be another episode in the baffling and disturbing downfall that Brown’s personal and professional image has experienced and just when it seems like he is finally out of the news he returns again doing something else disturbing.

Despite these details Brown appeared to be self-congratulatory on Twitter writing, “Is it time to walk away I done everything in the game ?!!” Brown wrote. “At this point the risk is greater than the reward thank you everyone who been part of this journey I sincerely thank you for everything! Life goes on 84!”

Whether or not this retirement is sincere seems trivial since Brown now seems like a no-go zone for NFL teams. Although that never seems to be the case in the NFL with the league’s sordid history of signing players regardless of their past – see Greg Hardy, Ray Rice, etc. But Brown is likely too far gone and I don’t see a team getting away with signing him now or surviving his antics. if they do get through the PR disaster that it would cause. A lot of people turn to issues with athletes, especially football players, with concussion-related health issues or even general mental illness and I don’t see Brown returning to the NFL until he gets help for whatever combination of these issues is ailing him.

There was no secret that the Patriots needed to upgrade their special teams depth coming into last week’s NFL draft after releasing their four-time Pro Bowl kicker, Stephen Gostkowski. The 36-year-old spent all 14 seasons of his career with New England prior to his release in late March due to hip surgery that caused him to miss 12 games in 2019 as the team struggled to find an adequate replacement.

Gostkowski was originally a fourth round pick in the 2006 draft, a round which most teams would use to target a position player. But head coach Bill Belichick definitely views kicking as an integral part of his team’s success and ultimately decided to pull the trigger on Marshall kicker Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round on Saturday.

What no one saw coming was the criticism of a tattoo Rohrwasser got when he was 18 years old that resembles the logo of a right-wing militia group known as “The Three Percenters.” Rohrwasser initially told reporters he would have the tattoo covered up, but on Monday he joined Steve Burton for an interview to address the controversy on Boston’s CBS-affiliate, WBZ TV.

Rohrwasser said he was unaware of the tattoo’s meaning and it was only brought up in the public spotlight when he was drafted as his picture circulated across social media. “I went on to Twitter and I saw the tweet,” he told WBZ TV.  “I saw that someone had taken a picture of me and put it with my tattoo and linking me to some horrific events, you know, obviously Charlottesville and these horrible things.”

When asked if it was brought to his attention while attending Marshall, Rohrwasser said, “Never. The first time I found out what it was linked to was on Saturday. That’s why it was so surprising,” he told Burton.

He later added that the tattoo “was described to me as, you know, the percentage of colonists that rose up against the authoritarian government of the British. And I was like, wow, that’s such a you know, an American sentiment, patriotic sentiment and coming from a military family, I thought that really spoke to me. I always was proud to be an American. I’m very proud.”

On Saturday after being drafted, Rohrwasser said he was going to have it covered up, but his opinion shifted after becoming aware of how it’s being interpreted.

“As soon as I saw what it was linked to on Saturday, it was exactly that time I knew I had to get it totally taken off my body. I said cover it up [to reporters], but I want to get it removed from my body. It’s shameful that I had it on there ignorantly,” an emotional Rohrwasser said. “I’m sorry for all my family that have to defend me. Putting them in that compromising position is one of the biggest regrets I’ll ever have, so to them, I’m sorry. I’m going to learn from this. No matter what, it’s not who I am, hopefully you’ll all find that out.”

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