New England Patriots
Drake Maye and an already explosive Patriots offense could be even better in 2026 after offseason additions like A.J. Brown.
Drake Maye could be primed for an MVP campaign in 2026. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
September 8, 2026 | 7:30 AM
7 minutes to read
The 2026 Patriots season is about to begin.
Expectations are high in Foxborough, especially after Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and the rest of a seemingly retooling Patriots roster made it all the way to Super Bowl LX this past winter.
The road back to the Super Bowl isn’t going to be any easier in New England, especially with the Patriots dealing with a far tougher schedule as the reigning AFC champions.
But an improved Patriots offense — headlined by the arrival of A.J. Brown and the continued growth of Maye — should signal plenty of optimism for the 2026 season.
Is it enough to get New England back to the big game? Here’s a look at some of our bold predictions for the upcoming season in Foxborough:
Christian Gonzalez sets a career-high in interceptions
Exhale, Patriots fans.
For all of the fears over Christian Gonzalez either sitting out Week 1 against the Seattle or outright seeking a trade amid months of stalled negotiations on a new extension, things resolved themselves in the 11th hour — with Gonzalez reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $135 million deal early Tuesday morning.
New England could not afford to let their star cornerback get disgruntled going into a pivotal season for the team, nor could the Patriots harp on the need to draft and develop talent, actually hit on a first-round pick in Gonzalez, and then balk at paying him what’s worth on today’s market.
Now the highest-paid corner in the NFL, Gonzalez rewards the Patriots’ faith — and their financial commitment to him — by snagging six interceptions in 2026 en route to First Team All-Pro honors.
While Henderson stagnates, Rhamondre Stevenson has a career year
As explosive as New England’s offense was last season under the watch of Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the unit is looking for a better balance this year when it comes to committing to the ground game.
It wasn’t a flashy offseason pickup, but bruising fullback Reggie Gilliam should make a sizable impact when it comes to clearing a path for Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Henderson looked like a potential breakout candidate last year, but he hasn’t exactly impressed this summer — with concerns over his vision and pass-blocking continuing to present themselves during camp.
Add in his lingering ankle injury, and the second-year pro might have an uphill climb when it comes to building off of last season’s results.
Thankfully for New England, Stevenson seems primed for a breakout year in 2026.
The 28-year-old back overcame some early fumbling issues last season to become New England’s go-to option in the ground game — and has followed that up with a very strong training camp where he consistently made plays, both running between the tackles and reeling in catches from Maye.
For the first time since 2022, expect Stevenson to surpass 1,000 rushing yards.
New England’s pass rush is a major Achilles’ heel
There are several red flags on New England’s defense when it comes to depth — especially at the edge position.
New England has a ton of talent along the defensive line — with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore expected to generate plenty of pressure up the gut this season. But a Patriots defense that only amassed 35 sacks last season doesn’t exactly have the personnel in place to make major gains in that area of the game.
Dre’Mont Jones is a nice offseason pickup, while New England is holding out hope that Elijah Ponder can do his best impression of K’Lavon Chaisson and take a major step forward as a pass-rushing threat.
But there isn’t a lot of optimism rooted in Harold Landry making a major impact after missing all of camp with an ailing knee, with a very raw rookie in Gabe Jacas standing as the next man up at edge.
New England might still have plenty of talent sprinkled across its defense. But the Patriots’ ability to stall out opposing drives by consistently dialing up heat against opposing QBs should be called into question going into the 2026 campaign.
New England makes another blockbuster trade to bolster pass rush
Given those evident concerns about New England’s pass rush and the immediate contention window that the Patriots find themselves in, don’t be surprised if Eliot Wolf and his staff are aggressive entering the trade deadline.
Despite the pain of giving up a 2028 first-round pick as part of the Brown deal, the Patriots part with even more draft capital (including a 2027 first) to reel in Raiders star defensive edge Maxx Crosby.
There might be some concerns over Crosby when it comes to his age (29) and his health after a failed physical nixed his trade to the Ravens earlier this offseason.
But Crosby still has something left in the tank as a dynamic pass-rusher, and a few of those concerns could also lower the asking price for the Raiders — who initially secured two first-round picks from Baltimore as part of that failed deal.
A.J. Brown doesn’t lead Patriots in receiving TDs
Patriots fans expecting a Moss-like debut from Brown in 2026 might be a bit disappointed … in terms of touchdown catches.
The 29-year-old wideout has certainly looked the part in his first training camp in Foxborough — snagging several highlight-reel catches from Maye while showcasing his versatile route tree.
Pairing a player of Brown’s evident skill set with both Maye’s talents and McDaniels’ play-calling acumen should lead to plenty of production, with Brown surpassing both 90 catches and 1,300 receiving yards during the 2026 season.
But we have Brown **only** snagging seven touchdowns, with Romeo Doubs doling out plenty of damage in the red zone with nine touchdown grabs of his own in his first year with the Patriots.
Ultimately, Maye’s top TD target this season will be a reliable option in Hunter Henry — who posts 10 touchdowns in his sixth season with the team.
Will Campbell is least of Patriots’ worries on O-line
Will Campbell’s rookie season ended on a sour note after the rookie left tackle was put on the ropes by elite defenses like the Texans and Seahawks in the playoffs.
But the former fourth overall pick has been very impressive so far this summer — winning a majority of his 1-on-1 battles and holding his own against an elite Eagles front seven during joint practices.
Getting a full offseason to both recover from an MCL injury and build some strength should do wonders for New England’s left tackle, who won’t be nearly as much of a storyline this year as he settles into his role on the O-line.
But Campbell’s positive development doesn’t mean that all will be well for New England’s offensive line, with 35-year-old Morgan Moses and new left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker both set to miss a few games due to injuries.
When New England’s expected five-man unit is out on the field in front of Maye, there’s a lot to like about that personnel grouping. But don’t expect the Patriots to be as fortunate as they were last year when it comes to avoiding the injury bug.
Don’t be surprised if both Marcus Bryant and Greg Van Roten earn a hefty amount of snaps this fall.
Eli Raridon makes largest impact on New England’s rookie class
The Patriots have left a lot to be desired in recent years when it comes to restocking its depth chart and identifying franchise fixtures via the NFL Draft.
That sentiment might carry over into next year, as several players in New England’s 2026 draft class are going to need some time before making a legitimate impact in the NFL ranks.
Caleb Lomu is ultimately handed more of a “redshirt” season in 2026 with Marcus Bryant — if healthy — eventually standing as the next man up at swing tackle, while edge rusher Gabe Jacas is going to need time to work on play recognition before becoming a trusted edge rusher on this squad.
But there is some optimism rooted in third-round pick Eli Raridon, who emerges as a solid cog in New England’s offense as the tight end behind Hunter Henry on the depth chart. There’s a lot of upside with the Notre Dame product, who records 39 catches for 414 yards in his rookie season.
Craig Woodson is New England’s top breakout star
New England has plenty of talent in its secondary, headlined by Gonzalez and offseason pickup Kevin Byard III. A respected veteran coming off an All-Pro campaign in Byard should make a major impact.
But if New England is banking on New England’s defense making strides in 2026, a lot of that optimism should be rooted in 2025 fourth-round pick Craig Woodson.
Woodson had a strong rookie season that seemingly got better and better as the year went on — culminating in a dominant performance against Seattle in Super Bowl LX (10 tackles, three tackles for loss).
New England Patriots S Craig Woodson was awesome in the postseason and got better and better throughout his rookie season. Love seeing him show off his instincts and route tracking to make this PBU. He’s going to have a big year 2 pic.twitter.com/lZjWNSyKZ7
— Daniel Harms (@InHarmsWay19) May 26, 2026
Expect Woodson to carry that sterling play into this season as he emerges as another franchise fixture on this defensive unit.
Drake Maye wins MVP
New England might have some legitimate concerns when it comes to depth, defensive personnel, and a daunting schedule.
But there aren’t nearly as many question marks surrounding Maye and the Patriots’ offense.
Fresh off of finishing second in NFL MVP voting last season, it’s not exactly a stretch to expect Maye — who just turned 24 years old last week — to be even better in 2026.
Be it another year in McDaniels’ system, his own natural development with another year of NFL reps under his belt, or offseason additions like Brown and Doubs, expect Maye to stuff the stat sheet this season and narrowly beat out Josh Allen for NFL MVP honors.
Patriots make it back to the Super Bowl
The good news? For all the fears of some regression taking place in Foxborough, a Patriots roster — now seasoned after last year’s run — goes 12-5 and makes it all the way back to the Super Bowl after overcoming a much tougher playoff road through the AFC.
The bad news? The Patriots’ hopes of finally getting over the hump come up short after New England falls short to a supercharged Rams defense teeming with elite talent.
The Patriots put together a better effort than last year’s Super Bowl, but a fourth-quarter rally for Maye and Co. is snuffed out after Super Bowl LXI MVP Myles Garrett strip-sacks Maye to end the game at SoFi Stadium.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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