New England Patriots
“I’m the center, and he’s the quarterback. It all worked out great.”
Jared Wilson is making the switch to center for the 2026 season. AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper
May 14, 2026 | 5:08 PM
2 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — Jared Wilson is no stranger when it comes to snapping the ball to Drake Maye.
Even though the 22-year-old Patriots offensive lineman primarily played at left guard during his rookie season in New England, he was drafted out of the University of Georgia as a center.
But before the 2025 third-round pick committed to the Bulldogs, he was originally a top-ranked recruit with the University of North Carolina alongside Maye, with Wilson once envisioning a collegiate career where he’d be the man in the middle protecting Maye while donning powder blue.
Wilson ultimately decommitted from UNC and signed a letter of intent with Georgia in 2020.
But, six years later, Wilson is now slated to serve a familiar role as Maye’s center moving forward with the Patriots.
“Oh, man, it’s cool. It’s a full circle moment,” Wilson said Thursday afternoon at New England’s new training facility next to Gillette Stadium. “I remember us talking about it a couple weeks ago. It’s just like, ‘Dang, we committed North Carolina together, and were this close to getting there, and then [I] veered off to Georgia, and now we’re both here.’
“I’m the center, and he’s the quarterback. It all worked out great.”
Wilson — who began his career at Georgia as a backup lineman — saw his stock soar after starting every game at center for the Bulldogs during the 2024 season, earning Second-Team All-SEC honors.
But, with veteran center Garrett Bradbury already on the roster, Wilson instead shifted over to left guard as a rookie in 2025 — earning valuable experience en route to an unexpected run to Super Bowl LX.
New England opted to augment their O-line this offseason after Maye was put under siege by the Seahawks defense in Super Bowl LX, trading Bradbury to the Chicago Bears and signing former first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker to play left guard.
“Alijah’s a great dude. Love him,” Wilson said. “An athletic freak. Crazy smart, smart player. He’s going to be a great guy to have in the room.”
With a vacancy now over at center, Wilson is expected to slot into that starting spot at his natural position.
“Very excited,” Wilson said of moving back to center. “Very excited. I’ll keep it at that.”
Even if center might be his preferred spot on the O-line, Wilson expressed gratitude for the experience he gained last year — especially when it comes to learning the ropes of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system.
“Having a year under my belt, that kind of helps him with the vocalization part of [moving to center],” Wilson said. “Just knowing the guys in the room. We’ve been together for a year, so it’s easier to kind of communicate with everybody in the room because you know everybody. We’ve got some good guys, but everybody’s great when it comes to communicating.
“Josh’s playbook … it was tough last year,” Wilson added. “It took me a whole year to figure out that playbook. But just getting thrown into the fire Year One, and just having to just go and go and go, it definitely makes you grow.”
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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