Hooper signed a one-year contract to stay with the Patriots earlier this offseason.

The New England Patriots were more selective with re-signing their own players in this year’s free agency compared to 2024. They did, however, make sure to keep one of their most productive offensive pieces from last season in the fold.

Tight end Austin Hooper, who is coming off a 45-catch, 476-yard, 3-touchdown campaign, returned to the team via a one-year, $5 million contract. The deal is a clear increase from last year’s pact — one year, $3 million — and there is potential for an even bigger...

Two consecutive 4-13 seasons and last place finishes in the AFC East required a response from the New England Patriots.

It came during the offseason.

The Patriots went through a roster overhaul with Mike Vrabel in charge. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, only 47 of the 91 players currently on the Patriots roster were with the team last season.

The Patriots spent big in free agency, handing defensive tackle Milton Williams a four-year, $104 million deal, which was the richest contract ever awarded in franchise history. They also added Harold Landry III, Carlton Davis and Robert Spillane among a few...

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel constructed his coaching staff much differently than how Jerod Mayo did a year a go.

Vrabel sought out coaches with plenty of experience while Mayo’s staff was filled with some coaches taking on roles for the first time. Four coaches on Vrabel’s staff have had head coaching experience in the NFL.

That group includes Thomas Brown along with Josh McDaniels, Doug Marrone and senior defensive assistant Ben McAdoo.

McDaniels will reprise his role as Patriots offensive coordinator and Marrone will coach the offensive line while McAdoo returns for a second season in New...

Previewing the Patriots wide receiver heading into his first season in New England.

The New England Patriots entered their first offseason under head coach Mike Vrabel with two big goals in mind. Besides wanting to improve the culture in the room after what was a challenging season in that respect, the club also aimed at improving the supporting cast around starting quarterback Drake Maye.

A significant portion of the team’s offseason acquisitions, whether through free agency or the draft, fall into both those categories. One of the highest-profile of those is veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who joined the team...

Notes and thoughts on the Patriots’ young receivers, leadership roles, and more.

The New England Patriots and the rest of the NFL continue to take steps toward the 2025 season. That included taking the practice fields three times last week for their first week of OTAs.

As for other stories, thoughts and takeaways from the last few days, here is our weekly notebook clean-up operation. Welcome to the latest edition of the Pats Pulpit Sunday Patriots Notes.

Rookie receivers

Roughly 15 minutes following the conclusion of the Patriots’ Tuesday OTA, wide receiver Pop Douglas stood in front of a...

Pablo Torre took his Bill Belichick reporting to a whole new level this week.

One of the key developments in Bill Belichick’s years-long relationship saga Jordon Hudson came with the originally leaked Ring camera video of the shirtless head coach leaving a porch.

On Torre’s DraftKings program this week, Torre unveiled more video of Belichick from the house, leaving with a leather bag. For his own curiosity and deeper reporting, Torre took matters into his own hands.

Torre told Katie Nolan and Michael Cruz Kanye, and supported with video that he located the house, rented it as an Airbnb and...

Previewing the Patriots cornerback heading into his first season with the team.

Entering free agency as the league leaders in salary cap space, the New England Patriots wasted no time making some big investments. Among those was veteran cornerback Carlton Davis, who signed a three-year, $54 million contract after previous stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.

Now a Patriot, Davis projects as a starter and the Robin to All-Pro Christian Gonzalez’s Batman.

Hard facts

Name: Carlton Davis III

Position: Cornerback

Jersey number: 7

Opening day age: 28 (12/31/1996)

Measurements: 6’1”, 206 lbs, 79 3/8” wingspan, 32...

The New England Patriots have a mix of veterans and young talent in their wide receiver room.

The additions of Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams have completely transformed this group, with the veteran immediately becoming the most explosive and experienced option. At the same time, the rookie has a claim at the highest ceiling of anyone in this group, giving returning veteran DeMario Douglas excitement for the upcoming season.

“I love ’em. I feel like they’ve brought everything to the room,” Douglas said after Tuesday’s OTAs practice, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “Straight competition in our room, and I love...

Day 3 of Patriots organized team activities wasn’t made available to the media, but there still were encouraging signs from Thursday.

Stefon Diggs was optimistic about his recovery from a torn ACL he suffered last season, and that was shown when pictures from OTAs revealed the New England signing participating. What’s also notable is that Diggs was shown not wearing a knee brace.

It served as an excellent sign of where the veteran wide receiver is in his recovery, and it decreased the chance that the 31-year-old will start the season on the physically unable to perform list.

Drake Maye...

The Patriots helped save the “tush push,” but it does make one wonder if there were any underlying motivations.

New England reportedly was among 10 teams to vote against a proposal to ban the “tush push,” a play made popular by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Green Bay Packers submitted the proposal and supporters cited player safety as the primary reason to ban the play. However, it did not receive the 24 votes necessary to pass.

It’s obvious why the Eagles wouldn’t want the play banned, but what’s the Patriots’ motivation to keep the play? Well, Mike Vrabel made that clear...

The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about Drake Maye, the young receivers, and more.

As the offseason rolls on, the New England Patriots have wrapped up their first week of OTAs which included a session open to the media on Tuesday.

So let’s talk about it all and get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.

Saw drake maye threw four interceptions at practice the other day. Should there be any concern with that at this point on the calendar? - Mike W.

Short story: no. It’s one practice during the first week of OTAs where a young...

Note: This 2010 season outcome is hypothetical from the author based on the player movement in Gronkowski’s podcast story.

There are thousands of alternate universes in the NFL realm and Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski opened the portal to one in recent storytelling.

The four-time Super Bowl champion shared an alternate scenario from the 2010 NFL Draft on his “Dudes On Dudes” podcast with former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman. Gronkowski shared that he nearly went to the Baltimore Ravens and in search of a tight end, the Patriots would have traded for Chicago Bears star Greg Olsen.

Baltimore would’ve had two...