New England Patriots
Kraft touched on expectations for the 2026 Patriots, an 18th regular-season sport, and extra.
Recent off an surprising run to Tremendous Bowl LX this previous season, Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft is anticipating extra hurdles for his crew going into the 2026 marketing campaign.
“Yeah, we now have a fairly robust schedule, I feel the toughest schedule with a variety of west coast journey,” Kraft acknowledged Monday in a media scrum with Patriots reporters on the NFL annual conferences in Phoenix.
Kraft touched on a number of matters throughout his assembly with the media, together with this previous yr in Foxborough, retaining franchise fixtures like Christian Gonzalez, an 18th regular-season sport, and far more.
Protecting expectations in verify
The Patriots is likely to be poised to take one other step ahead in 2026 as Drake Maye continues to develop and an overachieving roster provides depth and expertise.
However, as Kraft famous, the street isn’t going to get any simpler for New England subsequent season, because the Patriots are saddled with one of many hardest schedules within the league as the reigning AFC East champions.
Provided that first-place slate and hard matchups towards groups within the AFC West and NFC North on faucet, New England’s 14-3 file in 2025 may dip subsequent fall. As such, Kraft shouldn’t be setting Tremendous Bowl expectations or tangible win totals down for Mike Vrabel’s crew in 2026.
“My goal yearly is we make the playoffs,” Kraft mentioned. “And as we noticed final yr, once you’re privileged to make the playoffs, something can occur.”
New England is likely to be effectively forward of schedule with what initially regarded like a multi-year retool in 2025 and past. However, Kraft was candid Monday when requested to mirror on this previous season, and simply how a lot fell New England’s method in Vrabel’s first yr on the helm.
“In all seriousness, I feel truly the crew method overachieved what any of us thought would occur. And it was great,” Kraft mentioned. “And successful that championship sport in Denver, when we now have such a previous historical past of issue successful in Denver, it was very particular. So pleased with this crew. And most of them are nonetheless younger.”
Protecting franchise stars round
The Patriots don’t have to fret about handing Maye a brand new contract this offseason. However, after ending second in NFL MVP voting this previous season, the 23-year-old QB will doubtless rewrite the file books within the coming years when he’s eligible to signal an extension.
And, whereas star cornerback Christian Gonzalez isn’t hitting free company till after the 2027 season, he’s eligible for a contract extension this spring after finishing his fourth NFL marketing campaign.
Gonzalez could possibly be in line for the priciest contract for a cornerback in league historical past if New England places pen to paper on a brand new deal for him within the coming months.
After taking part in his greatest soccer down the stretch in 2025 — together with a standout efficiency towards the Seahawks in Tremendous Bowl LX — Gonzalez stands as the kind of participant that Kraft needs to maintain round for the foreseeable future.
“Properly, we at all times strive,” Kraft mentioned when requested about attainable extensions for Gonzalez and finally Maye. “We now have a wage cap, so we now have a restrict. So, we now have to assume [about] what’s greatest for the crew by way of timing, of the signing and naturally, the sooner you do it, it’s believed it’s extra economically passable.
“However we depart that to Mike Vrabel, Elliot Wolf, and our individuals making contract choices. We’re fortunate to have these two gamers, and I hope and imagine they’ll be with us for the long run.”
Regardless of spending closely in free company for the second spring in a row, New England does have $35.2 million in cap house, per OverTheCap. Solely 5 groups have extra cap house than the Patriots coming into the 2026 season.
One other regular-season sport?
One of many scorching matters coming into the NFL annual conferences in Arizona is the opportunity of including one other regular-season sport onto the league schedule within the coming years.
The NFL went from a 16-game common season to 17 video games in 2021, and the urge for food is there from league homeowners to play much more transferring ahead.
If the NFL approves an 18-game schedule sooner or later, the NFL preseason slate could be restricted to only two video games within the late summer season — with groups granted two bye weeks over the course of the common season to accommodate an extended marketing campaign.
Kraft vouched for the prolonged schedule on Monday.
“I prefer it long run for the expansion and improvement of the league as a result of to maintain our league wholesome and develop income,” Kraft mentioned. “I feel preseason video games haven’t been what [they] was once after we owned the crew, and altering to 18 video games and having that actual content material and being aware of participant security.
Whereas a further bye week could be mandatory given the added put on and tear on gamers, Kraft famous that an additional week off may additionally open the door for the NFL to schedule extra worldwide video games, given the added relaxation to accommodate longer journey instances.
“We now have each crew within the league would play a sport abroad,” Kraft mentioned. “And it simply, I feel, could be much more thrilling for the followers to have an additional sport moderately than the best way our preseason video games stack up.”
Opening a brand new crew facility
The Patriots will take the sphere in Gillette Stadium as soon as once more in 2026. However, their locker rooms, places of work, and different crew amenities are set to get a significant improve this yr.
New England will formally unveil the New Stability Athletic Middle sooner or later within the coming months, with the crew’s new facility — positioned subsequent to the membership’s apply fields behind Gillette Stadium — already up and operating. Coaches have already moved into the constructing, which spans 160,000 square feet.
“The coaching middle, I feel it’s very particular, and I feel it’ll give our teaching workers and gamers cause to have fun the effectivity and what can go on there, and it’s proper on the sphere,” Kraft mentioned. “I’ll be very to get the response of all of you specialists within the media once you see it and the way it compares to what our competitors (has). I feel it’s one among a form.”
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