The story of the offseason has created short-term professional complications for Patriots coach Mike Vrabel but no long-term impact on his job security.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft made that clear on Friday.
Kraft commented on Vrabel during Friday’s episode of First Take on ESPN.
Appearing with Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Kraft was asked this question by host Shae Cornette: “There’s been a little bit of a tumultuous offseason, we can call [it], for your head coach, Mike Vrabel. What’s it been like navigating that during the offseason?”
“Well, we’re privileged to have Mike as our head coach,” Kraft said. “You know, no one is infallible. And what’s great about Mike is he has great intellectual knowledge about football, all the technical skills. He relates to the players beautifully. And he’s someone I have a strong belief and faith in. And I hope he’s going to be our head coach for many years to come.”
The difference in outcomes for Vrabel and Dianna Russini has been stark. The question of a double standard continues to be raised, even if (as we spelled it out right after the issue came to light) the job of head coach and the job of reporter under the high standards imposed by the New York Times are two very different things.
For now, the issue has died down. That could change, when The Athletic issues the report of its internal investigation (if it ever does) and if/when Russini tells her story.
Patriots Clips
The Patriots made a roster move ahead of the start of training camp next week.
They announced that they have waived defensive tackle Travis Shaw. They did not fill his spot on their roster with any corresponding move.
Shaw signed with the Patriots after going undrafted out of Texas in April. Shaw also spent three seasons at North Carolina before transferring to the SEC school. He had 13 tackles and a tackle for loss in 13 games for the Longhorns.
The Patriots have Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Eric Gregory, Leonard Taylor, Jeremiah Pharms, and David Blay left in their defensive line group.
Bill Belichick’s first season as North Carolina’s head coach did not go as well as anyone affiliated with the university would have liked, with the program finishing 4-8 in 2025.
But Belichick, winner of six Super Bowls as an NFL HC, said this week that things are looking up for the Tar Heels in 2026.
“Overall as a football team, our culture, our program, our ability to operate as a team is much higher than it was a year ago,” Belichick said Friday, via Pete Thamel of ESPN, “and our talent level is higher.”
Belichick added that the program is “way ahead” of where it was a year ago, noting the difference is “night and day.”
Belichick also feels positively about the program’s recruiting class, as he was able to bring in 20 portal players and 40 incoming freshmen.
“Most of the national publications ... ranked us in the top 15 in your recruiting class,” Belichick said. “So I think if you recruit good players, you’re going to have good teams. If you don’t recruit good players, then you’re probably going to have a hard time breaking into that level. So I think we have to consistently bring in good players, continue to work hard, improve and develop them. And I’m confident that we’ll be there. It’s a process.”
The talent level was an issue for UNC in 2025, with Belichick noting that no players from the team were drafted and only two players who were eligible are still on an NFL offseason roster.
“It gives you an idea where we were,” Belichick said.
But the former Patriots and Browns head coach said he’s having fun at the college level.
“I enjoy seeing the kids grow,” he said. “And so you see a lot of growth in kids as they move away from home, as they live on their own and just start to become real adults. So I’ve enjoyed that.”
Wide receiver A.J. Brown did not become a member of the Patriots until June, which meant he didn’t get much time to work with quarterback Drake Maye before the end of the team’s offseason program.
It was enough time for Brown to make a positive impression on his new teammate. Maye said at his football camp this week that he feels he has already started to build a connection with Brown and that he plans to deepen it once training camp is underway this month.
“A.J.’s been awesome,” Maye said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “I’m really looking forward to playing with him. I’m looking forward to getting to camp and building some chemistry. And I know there’s already some there for me. You just gotta throw it near him, and he’ll make a play. He’s a great teammate. He’s been great so far. He loves to win, so we share that.”
The Patriots were willing to wait to make a trade for Brown because they think he and Maye will take the offense beyond where it was with Stefon Diggs as the top receiver in 2025. The way that comes together will be a leading storyline for the team’s preseason work.
In 2026, the only practice receiver Stefon Diggs has experienced is legal.
Cut by the Patriots and still available, Diggs went through a criminal trial in May (the case never should have been pursued, based on the quality of the prosecution’s evidence presented in court). He also has multiple civil lawsuits to navigate.
Via TMZ, a man named Nigel King has sued Diggs for falsely claiming King stole a Ferrari — and for allegedly having Diggs’s friends attack him.
Also sued were Diggs’s brother, Darez, and three of their friends.
In July 2024, King arranged for Diggs’s Ferrari to be transported to Houston. The car was stolen. King claims he was never identified as a suspect in the theft.
King also contends that, in December 2024, Diggs began accusing King of stealing the car. King also claims that, a year later, Diggs’s friend punched King in the face.
Diggs, per the latest report as to a case that first surfaced in February 2026, requested that the case not proceed until the other defendants are properly served. The other defendants have since been served, which should set the stage for the litigation to unfold — likely slowly, as most civil lawsuits do.
In November 2025, Diggs sued a man named Christopher Griffith for falsely claiming Diggs had drugged and sexually assaulted him. Griffith filed a counterclaim, alleging that Diggs did indeed sexually assault him in 2023. Diggs has denied the accusation. That case has been unfolding with a stream of conflicting contentions and salacious details, which will make for a compelling trial if the case isn’t settled or dismissed.
Through it all, Diggs hopes to continue his NFL career. He recently claimed that there’s no WR2 in the NFL better than him. At least five unnamed teams reportedly have “checked in” on the player who had 1,013 receiving yards in his first season with the Patriots.
It was the seventh 1,000-yard season of the 32-year-old receiver’s career. Whether he’ll have a chance to do it an eighth time remains to be seen — but it was obvious last year that, even though his Ferrari was stolen, he still has gas in the tank.
Stefon Diggs was the Patriots’ top wideout last season. A.J. Brown is the Patriots’ top wideout this season.
What a difference a No. 1 wideout makes.
Patriots safety Kevin Byard compared Brown’s presence to Justin Jefferson’s presence with the Vikings. Byard, who played with Brown in Philadelphia for 10 games in 2023, faced Jefferson four times in the past two seasons in Chicago.
“When I was in Chicago, we obviously played against a guy in Justin Jefferson, and, for the most part, you need to point out where Justin Jefferson was on every single play,” Byard said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s the same thing with A.J. When I’m lined up at safety, and I’m deep back there, 12, 14, 15 yards, whatever, I’m going to identify where’s A.J.? You know what I mean? Like where’s he at? Is he lined up way out on the boundary at the X? Is he lined up in the slot or whatever? Let’s identify where he is, and now I can kind of get a good base on, OK, this is where the No. 1 player is. The running back’s here; tight end’s here. So, it just shifts your philosophy on how you want to play defense.”
Brown’s presence will give Drake Maye better matchups, even if the three-time Pro Bowler is covered.
“Do you play cloud over top of [Brown]? ‘Cause you don’t really want to leave him one-on-one,” Byard said. “I mean that’s what A.J. does best. He’s going to run those slants, those quick dig routes, those go balls. I don’t think anybody in the league is better than him when it comes to those routes and being able to break a tackle and take it the distance. So, he’s just a phenomenal athlete, phenomenal talent.”
The Patriots upgraded their No. 2 wide receiver, too, by signing Romeo Doubs.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has not landed a job since being released by the Patriots in March, but there’s enough time for that to change before training camps open later this month.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that at least five teams have been checking in on Diggs of late. There’s no word on which teams make up that list or how likely it is that one of them has interest in moving forward with a deal.
The report comes shortly after Diggs shared his belief that “you can’t name a No. 2 [wide receiver] better than me” anywhere in the league. Others would dispute that assertion, but Diggs is coming off a productive season with the Patriots.
Diggs returned from a 2024 torn ACL to post 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular season games. He added 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in the postseason, but the Patriots released him for cap reasons before acquiring A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
Ten NFL teams hired new head coaches this year. None of those coaches are Black. Patriots passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Thomas Brown is one of the many Black assistants who interviewed for multiple jobs but wasn’t chosen.
Brown told Mike Reiss of ESPN that getting many interviews over the years but not getting a head-coaching job has been difficult for him.
“It’s a very complex conversation, something that has been a consistent dialogue almost every single year. To say it’s frustrating in some ways is probably an understatement,” Brown said. “I’ve constantly heard this mantra the last six years in the NFL that people hire the most qualified candidates, which I hope is true and accurate. But you’re also seeing almost every time that is never a Black coach. Which is frustrating. I’ve also heard the phrase ‘there’s not many candidates in the pipeline to choose from.’ I do take issue with that, because I’ve been around some high-level great communicators, great connectors of people, at every stop I’ve been.”
The 40-year-old Brown was a college running back who was drafted in the sixth round by the Falcons in 2008. After a three-year NFL playing career, Brown has spent 15 years in coaching, including five games as interim head coach of the Bears in 2024.
The NFL currently has three Black head coaches: Todd Bowles of the Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans of the Texans)and Aaron Glenn of the Jets.
With training camp right around the corner, wide receiver Stefon Diggs is among several big-name players who remain without a home.
Diggs became a free agent on March 11 when the Patriots released him in a cost-cutting move.
The Patriots replaced Diggs, their leading wide receiver last season, with a true No. 1 wideout in A.J. Brown. Diggs admits he is no longer a No. 1 wide receiver, but he said he’s better than any of the NFL’s No. 2 wide receivers.
“My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said in a video on his YouTube channel last week. “But take those [top wide receivers] as your 1s, right? You can’t name a No. 2 better than me.”
Diggs said “presumably” all 32 NFL teams have their No. 1 wide receiver for this season. He argued, though, that there are only seven “real [No.] 1s” in the league.
“There’s not a No. 2 on a team -- let’s presumably give people the credit and just say, ‘OK, you want to take the No. 1 spot away,’” Diggs said. “Name your No. 2 receiver right now, and tell me how much he makes, and then my last question is: Is he better than me?”
Diggs, 32, underestimates some of the top receiving duos in the league.
The Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins; the Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens; the Rams have Davante Adams and Puka Nacua; the Patriots have Brown and Romeo Doubs; the Lions have Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams; and the Vikings have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
To his point, though, Diggs still has something left. He had a team-leading 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns last season, adding 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in four postseason games.
Diggs has seven 1,000-yard seasons in his career.
The NFL closed its review of Diggs last month after he was found not guilty in May of assaulting his private chef in a pay dispute. Still, he remains in search of his next team.
“I brought myself here,” Diggs said. “Unfortunate at times, but I’m blessed. I’m going to be exactly where I’m supposed to be. . . . I’ll be fine. I know I’ll be fine.”
Greg Hawthorne, the Steelers’ first-round pick in 1979, has died. He was 69.
A member of the Super Bowl XIV-winning team, Hawthorne spent five seasons in Pittsburgh. He then played for the Patriots for three seasons, before finishing his career in Indianapolis in 1987 as a three-game replacement player during the strike.
Hawthorne played running back, receiver, and tight end during his eight-year NFL career. He finished with 527 rushing yards, 1,112 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns.
In the 1985 AFC Championship upset of the Dolphins, Hawthorne recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, setting up a touchdown that gave New England a 24-7 lead. The Patriots went on to upset Miami for a berth in Super Bowl XX, 31-14.
