Can Patriots repeat? Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel face tougher 2026 road after stunning Super Bowl run

The New England Patriots turned the tide in 2025. After three straight seasons of under .500 ball and two consecutive 4-13 campaigns, the Patriots catapulted into Super Bowl contention. With Drake Maye entering his second season and under new coach Mike Vrabel, the organization went 14-3 in the regular season and advanced to Super Bowl LX. While they were unable to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, falling to the Seattle Seahawks, it was still a historic turnaround for the franchise. 

In fact, their 17-4 record (including playoffs) is the largest year-over-year win increase in NFL history (+13). They were also the first team ever to reach the Super Bowl following a 13-plus loss season. Helping spearhead that resurrection, Vrabel won Coach of the Year, while Maye finished second in MVP voting.

That Super Bowl run a season ago has not only put the Patriots back on the map but also raised the bar for what the region and the NFL expected of them heading into 2026. Labeled as one of the true contenders throughout the league, they won’t catch teams sleeping as they may have in 2025, and the road ahead is far more treacherous.

Below, we’ll comb through New England’s upcoming schedule in 2026, highlight their key offseason additions and departures, and also highlight what they’ll need to overcome to continue this ascent. 

2026 regular season schedule

Week	Opponent	Date	Time (TV)
Week 1	at Seattle Seahawks	Wed, Sept. 9	8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 2	vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Sun, Sept 20	1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 3	at Jacksonville Jaguars	Sun, Sept. 27	1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 4	at Buffalo Bills	Sun, Oct. 4	1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 5	vs. Las Vegas Raiders	Sun, Oct. 11	1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 6	vs. New York Jets	Sun, Oct. 18	1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 7	at Chicago Bears	Thu, Oct. 22	8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Week 8	at Miami Dolphins	Sun, Nov. 1	4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Week 9	vs. Green Bay Packers	Sun, Nov. 8	4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Week 10	vs. Detroit Lions (Munich)	Sun, Nov. 15	9:30 a.m. (Fox)
Week 11	BYE	—	—
Week 12	at Los Angeles Chargers	Sun, Nov. 29	8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 13	vs. Buffalo Bills	Sun, Dec. 6	4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Week 14	vs. Minnesota Vikings	Thu, Dec. 10	8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Week 15	at Kansas City Chiefs	Mon, Dec. 21	8:15 p.m. (ESPN, ABC)
Week 16	at New York Jets	Sun, Dec. 27	1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 17	vs. Denver Broncos	TBD	TBD
Week 18	vs. Miami Dolphins	TBD	TBD

On paper, the 2026 Patriots are much more talented than the 2025 Patriots. They added some major weapons like A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, bolstered the offensive line, and added some key pieces to the defense as well. While this version of New England may be better than last year’s, its record may not be. 

One of the biggest critiques of the Patriots from 2025 was that they stacked up a ton of wins because of an easy schedule. In the regular season, New England had the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. As we look forward to this coming season, the road will not be as kind. 

From the jump, the Patriots will be tested to a historic degree. They have the hardest strength of schedule from Week 1 through Week 4 (.721 opponent win percentage in 2025) in the last 40 years (1986 Eagles). Three of those four games also take place on the road, adding another layer of difficulty. They are the first team since the 2019 Dolphins to open the season with three straight division winners. For reference, New England faced two division winners all of last season. 

Beyond that grueling first month, New England enters the season with the sixth-hardest strength of schedule overall, and the AFC should be much more competitive this time around. Joe Burrow missed a chunk of the season due to injury, eliminating the Bengals as a contender, while Lamar Jackson and the Ravens and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs also experienced down years. Provided those quarterbacks stay healthy, they should be among the top rivals to New England as they jockey for playoff positioning, along with their division rival in the Buffalo Bills. 

So, if the Patriots succeed anywhere close to the level they reached in 2025, detractors won’t have the easy-schedule narrative to lean on. 

Key additions, departures

Additions

• WR A.J. Brown (trade with Eagles)
• OL Alijah Vera-Tucker (signed three-year, $42 million deal)
• WR Romeo Doubs (signed four-year, $68 million deal)
• DL Dre’Mont Jones (signed three-year, $39.5 million deal)
• S Kevin Byard (signed one-year, $9 million deal)
• OL Caleb Lomu (first-round pick at 2026 NFL Draft)
• EDGE Gabe Jacas (second-round pick at 2026 NFL Draft)
• TE Eli Raridon (third-round pick at 2026 NFL Draft) 

Departures

• WR Stefon Diggs
• EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson (signed with Commanders)
• EDGE Anfernee Jennings (signed with Saints)
• DL Khyiris Tonga (signed with Chiefs)
• C Garrett Bradbury (traded to Bears)
• QB Joshua Dobbs
• RB Antonio Gibson
• TE Austin Hooper (signed with Falcons)
• OT Vederian Lowe (signed with 49ers)
• S Jaylinn Hawkins (signed with Ravens)

How sportsbooks view Patriots in 2026

• Odds to win AFC East: +125 
• Odds to win AFC: +760
• Odds to win SB LXI: +1600
• O/U win total: 10.5 (Over +115, Under -140)

via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Key training camp storyline

Currently, the biggest story surrounding the Patriots as they go through the initial days of training camp is that All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez is still without a contract extension. 

Earlier in camp, owner Robert Kraft told a group of reporters in Foxborough that the team had offered a contract that would make Gonzalez, who is under team control through 2027 (fifth-year option), the highest-paid corner in the NFL and the highest-paid player in franchise history. Despite that, pen has not been put to paper on a new deal. Unlike Kraft, Gonzalez chose not to discuss the negotiations publicly when asked about them at camp. 

This is puzzling on a couple of different fronts. When it comes to Kraft saying they’ve offered him a market-setting extension, there might be some nuance there. The two sides aren’t close to an agreement at the moment, Albert Breer of the MMQB told NBC Sports Boston just a few days ago. So, while an offer may have been extended to Gonzalez, it may not be to the caliber of the corner’s liking, especially with the Seattle Seahawks and fellow defensive back Devon Witherspoon also narrowing in on a market-altering extension. Maybe Gonzalez and company are waiting for that deal to go down in hopes of boosting his value even higher? 

Gonzalez has been taking part in New England’s offseason program and has been on the field throughout training camp, neglecting to enact a hold-in, as many other players seeking a new contract do nowadays. In fact, he’s basically done the opposite. Gonzalez was on the field as a full participant during the team’s first day of padded practices, which was eye-opening. Typically, players would draw the line at participating in full-padded practices to avoid an injury becoming a sticking point in negotiations, but Gonzalez is going through the workouts in good faith. 

Even though it hasn’t become a speed bump in terms of the Patriots’ on-field preparations for the 2026 season, getting Gonzalez done sooner rather than later is paramount. 

What they’ll need to overcome in 2026

Protection for Drake Maye

Drake Maye was walloped in the playoffs. Throughout the postseason, Maye was sacked 21 times, which is the most in a single playoff run all-time. That constant pressure led to the MVP runner-up struggling mightily, and it all came to a head in Super Bowl LX, where Maye became the first player with three-plus turnovers in the second half of a Super Bowl since Rich Gannon in 2002. A key reason for Maye being under so much duress was poor play along the offensive line, particularly at left tackle with then-rookie Will Campbell. 

Despite his struggles, the Patriots are sticking with their former No. 4 overall pick at left tackle. That stated, the franchise did put resources towards bolstering the line this offseason. In free agency, they added Alijah Vera-Tucker by inking him to a three-year, $42 million contract. He’ll slot in at left guard, and Jared Wilson will kick in to his natural center position after trading Garrett Bradbury to the Chicago Bears. 

New England still has Morgan Moses at right tackle and Mike Onwenu at right guard, but did use the 28th overall pick at the 2026 NFL Draft to bring in tackle Caleb Lomu. The 6-foot-6, 313-pounder played left tackle at Utah, so he could be a failsafe option if Campbell’s struggles continue. That stated, he’s been eyed by the team as the future at right tackle, given that Moses is entering his age-35 season. 

Lack of top talent off the edge

Outside of getting Gonzalez’s extension done, the biggest concern for the Patriots defense is the lack of top-tier talent and depth off the edge. This offseason, New England saw edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson sign with the Commanders. Chaisson was second on the team with 7.5 sacks over the regular season, and was tied for the team lead in sacks over the playoffs (3). 

Meanwhile, Harold Landry, who led the team in sacks last season, has opened camp on the PUP list as he continues to deal with a knee injury he suffered last season.  

The team did add to the position group, signing veteran Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year, $39.5 million contract in free agency. Between the Ravens and Titans last season, Jones had seven total sacks and 24 quarterback hits, which were both career highs. They also drafted Gabe Jacas in the second round out of Illinois, but the pass rusher was just recently activated off the non-football injury list following a cleanup procedure on his knee after the draft. 

With Landry’s availability in question, New England is counting on Jones and/or Jacas to contribute in a big way out of the gate. 

Mike Vrabel’s tumultious offesason

The most scandalous story surrounding the Patriots’ offseason centered around their head coach, Mike Vrabel. The 2026 Coach of the Year was photographed at a Sedona resort with former NFL reporter for The Athletic, Dianna Russini. The two, who are married to different people, were pictured in a hot tub together and interlocking hands on a roof deck. That, along with other pictures that date back to 2020, revealed an extramarital affair between the two. Initially, Vrabel denied the affair, saying the Sedona pictures were a “completely innocent interaction” and stated that any other suggestion was “laughable.” Later, Vrabel held a press conference saying he would step away from the team for Day 3 of the NFL Draft to seek counseling stemming from the off-the-field scandal. 

This saga was at a fever pitch in the spring but has seemingly quieted down as football activities have ramped up, so this story may fade into the background. That’s especially true if New England continues to win, but it does awkwardly loom over the coach.