The Patriots and Seahawks will open the 2026 season next Wednesday.
At this point, it’s still unclear whether or not cornerback Christian Gonzalez will be on the field for the contest.
While the Patriots and Gonzalez have been locked in a contract dispute, head coach Mike Vrabel said on Friday that he doesn’t feel like the situation has been a distraction.
“No. When Christian was rehabbing, he was where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. Talked about his professionalism. I can’t speak for the rest of the team and how they feel,” Vrabel said in his weekly interview with WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “From a coaching staff standpoint, it’s this: who is available each day, and we go about making a practice plan, or this is what the reps are going to be this day. We deal with all different kinds of things each and every day about who is available and who is not available. So I can only speak for myself, and it hasn’t been a distraction. I try to coach everybody that is here each and every day.”
Vrabel said the Patriots will be ready whether or not Gonzalez plays.
“We’ll have multiple game plans based on what the down and distance is, what personnel they are in, how the game may unfold,” Vrabel said. “We have to be flexible and be willing and ready to adjust. That’ll never change.”
For his part, Gonzalez told reporters on Thursday that he’s “still frustrated” by the situation and did not commit to playing in the season opener.
“I mean, when that time comes, that’s when things will happen,” Gonzalez said, via Karen Guregian of MassLive.com, noting that there are still several days for the two sides to come to an agreement. “We’ll save that [answer] for when it’s game time.”
The No. 17 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Gonzalez has recorded 24 passes defensed and three interceptions in 34 games over his first three seasons.
On Thursday, The Athletic published the long-awaited report of its internal investigation regarding the work of former NFL Insider Dianna Russini. The article did not include a comment from Russini. A separate article from The Athletic does.
“I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career,” Russini said in a statement to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, while also declining to be interviewed.
The issue wasn’t the accuracy of her reporting, even though The Athletic pointed out her claim that a firing of then-Titans coach Mike Vrabel was “not happening,” before he was fired. The problem was that “Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation” of the publication’s standards.
Either way, it’s the first comment she has provided on the matter since her April 14 resignation letter. It remains to be seen whether she’ll fully address the situation, before or after taking another job in sports media.
The investigation that resulted in the resignation of North Carolina G.M. Michael Lombardi seems to be expanding.
Via WRAL, lawyers hired to conduct the probe have now focused on Tar Heels defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who is currently on medical leave.
Steve Belichick previously served as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, when his father, Bill, was the head coach.
Per the report, investigators are questioning witnesses regarding whether Steve Belichick “used drugs on the job or provided drugs to at least one player.”
The investigation separately is exploring whether an unnamed member of the North Carolina recruiting staff had a sexual relationship with a player, according to the report. Lawyers also have inquired about possible sexual relationships between assistant coaches and the recruiting staff.
Subjects of the interviews include current and former Tar Heels players, parents, and staff members. The investigation also targets documents and screenshots of text conversations.
Although head coach Bill Belichick has not been identified as a focal point of the investigation, he’s the captain of the ship. And the ship, from a cultural standpoint, seems to be sinking.
Michael Lombardi, the longtime advisor to Bill Belichick who was recently placed on leave as North Carolina’s general manager, has resigned.
“Effective September 3, 2026, Michael Lombardi has resigned from his position as General Manager of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s football program,” North Carolina announced in a statement. “The University will continue its ongoing investigation and will consider all appropriate corrective actions responsive to the information it learns.”
It is still unclear why Lombardi was placed on leave, what North Carolina is investigating, or why he resigned, although the matter reportedly stems from a complaint filed by a former North Carolina employee. Less than a week ago, Lombardi’s lawyer was claiming the investigation into Lombardi’s conduct was a “witch hunt.”
Belichick hired Lombardi shortly after becoming North Carolina’s head coach. Lombardi had previously worked with Belichick in both of Belichick’s NFL head-coaching stints, with the Browns and Patriots. After North Carolina won its season opener on Saturday, Belichick made a point of praising Lombardi’s role in building the team.
Now Lombardi is gone, and Belichick has lost one of his most trusted aides.
In each of the past two seasons, Kayshon Boutte ranked second in receiving yards among Patriots wideouts and first or tied for first in receiving touchdowns. His reward? A trade to Houston.
The Patriots traded for A.J. Brown in the offseason, signed free agent Romeo Doubs and brought back DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins. That left Boutte as the odd receiver out, and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said in explaining the trade that Boutte “probably would have been inactive” on game days if he had remained in New England.
Boutte responded Thursday.
“They did pay two guys to come in and do that job,” Boutte said, via Timothy Rapp of the Bleacher Report. “Sadly, it is the way it is. Being that it’s a contract year for me, I [sought] a bigger role. I feel like what Vrabes said in his media interview, it wasn’t nothing bad. I wouldn’t say I’ll use that as fuel. . . . It was an honest opinion. He sat there, talked, [spoke] his truth, and [we’ll] pretty much move forward from it.”
The Texans needed a receiver after losing Jayden Higgins to a season-ending torn ACL last month. Boutte, who has 76 receptions for 1,140 yards and nine touchdowns over the past two seasons, joins Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Jared Wayne in the wide receivers room.
“I think it’s always good when the team wants you to come here,” Boutte, 24, said. “They truly believe in your ability, big playmaking ability. I would just say for me, just doing what I always do, not overthinking it, try to catch everything that comes my way. At the end of the day, I know it’s a big year for me, so I make the most of my opportunities.”
Boutte is in the final year of his rookie deal, scheduled to become a free agent in the offseason.
