The Patriots have five of this year’s draft picks under contract.
Fifth-round cornerback Karon Prunty, sixth-round offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover, sixth-round linebacker Namdi Obiazor, seventh-round quarterback Behren Morton, and seventh-round running back Jam Miller have all signed with the team. They all agreed to four-year deals.
Four picks remain unsigned, including first-round offensive tackle Caleb Lomu.
In addition to the draft picks, the Patriots also signed Illinois tight end Tanner Arkin, Miami defensive tackle David Blay Jr., TCU cornerback Channing Canada, James Madison wide receiver Nick DeGennaro, Culver-Stockton wide receiver Kyle Dixon, North Texas wide receiver Cameron Dorner, Oklahoma State cornerback Kenneth Harris, Missouri linebacker Khalil Jacobs, Georgetown wide receiver Jimmy Kibble, UCF running back Myles Montgomery, UAB guard JonDarius Morgan, and Florida State offensive lineman Jacob Rizy as undrafted free agents.
Free-agent receiver Stefon Diggs spent two days this week in court, in a criminal trial that hinged on a star witness who badly failed to deliver. Now that the criminal case is behind him, will someone sign Diggs?
He took to Instagram recently to make this observation: “This is not an opinion-based sport, so here are the numbers. I played 52% of the snaps and finished with 85 catches for 1,045 yards coming off an ACL. Where we going?”
It’s a fair question. He had the seventh 1,000-yard season of his career with the Patriots in 2025, his first and only season in New England. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler, a first-team All-Pro in 2020 and a second-team All-Pro in 2022.
The NFL has said, following the acquittal, that its investigation of Diggs under the Personal Conduct Policy remains open. If/when the league wants to interview him, Diggs won’t be able to decline to speak. The outcome could complicate his availability for 2026.
Regardless, Diggs proved in 2025 that he can still play. The goal for now should be to seek clearance from the league, which could be the last thing that is keeping teams from pursuing his services for the coming season.
Eventually, it also could come down to money. Diggs may want more than the market will bear. He may need to eventually abandon what he wants and accept the best offer he’ll get — or select something less than that for a chance to join one of the short-list contenders.
Exactly one month to the day since the first photos of Patriots coach and NFL reporter Dianna Russini emerged, TMZ has supplemented its report regarding the renting of a boat by the pair in June 2021 with a video of them on the dock.
On the surface, the video doesn’t add much to the broader story. Yes, it confirms the accuracy of the prior TMZ account. But it doesn’t tell anyone anything new.
Here’s the broader point, which the TMZ reporting on the Vrabel-Russini situation reconfirms: It’s not going away, and multiple outlets will continue to look for more.
What else is out there? Given that much of the evidence published to date shows little effort to be discreet or secretive, there could be plenty. And it could continue to drip, one drop at a time.
The broader question is whether and when Russini will tell her story. If/when she does, it will be tested against the information already available — and it will invite ongoing efforts to find anything that may contradict whatever she says.
As it relates to Vrabel, there’s the question of whatever he has said privately to explain the situation to his wife and family. If, as could be reasonably expected, a full account of the extent of the relationship was demanded and if the story omitted the Tennessee boat excursion while Russini was noticeably pregnant, that’s another issue Vrabel will have to navigate while focusing on preparations for the 2026 season.
At some point, it could become impossible to balance the issues in his personal life with a job that, once training camp opens, will consume his life. That’s why each additional development matters. And why, at this point, it would be foolish to assume there won’t be more.
After falling to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye revealed that he’d received a painkilling injection in his right shoulder before the game.
New England had characterized Maye’s shoulder as a non-issue leading up to the final game of the postseason. But Maye getting an injection inherently put that into question.
Maye, however, did not need surgery and noted this week that he hasn’t had any further issues with his shoulder.
“Nothing, nothing, no problems at all,” Maye told the Associated Press, adding he’s doing “great.”
Maye finished second in AP MVP voting after completing a league-leading 72 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 113.5 passer rating was also No. 1 in the league.
In the postseason, Maye completed 58.3 percent of his throws for 828 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions.
Kalshi now gives Mike Vrabel a 64 percent chance to be the coach of the Patriots in Week 1. The percentage dropped on Wednesday after a TMZ report that Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini rented a boat in Tennessee during June 2021, when she was pregnant.
The Patriots coach has been entangled in controversy since April 7 when the New York Post shared photos of the couple — both of whom are married to others — holding hands, embracing and spending time together in a pool at a boutique resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Now, Patriots players are being asked about it.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who played in the Truist Championship Pro-Am in Charlotte on Wednesday, said he doesn’t think Vrabel’s off-field issues will be a distraction for the team.
“No, I don’t,” Maye told the Associated Press. “I mean, he’s our head coach. I think he’s done a great job of talking to us and talking us through it. I’m just looking forward to getting back to work and getting ready.”
Maye was asked whether the controversy is something the Patriots need to put behind them before the start of the season.
“I think that’ll take care of itself,” Maye said. “I know he’s got the right mindset, and I know he’s a great human being. I think he’s . . . like I said, I love playing for him.”
