Patriots Provide Update on Injured Wide Receiver Mack Hollins

In this story:
Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins is eligible to return from injured reserve this week ahead of the AFC championship game against the Broncos, but he is not practicing on Wednesday, New England head coach Mike Vrabel told the media.
Mike Vrabel indicates the activation window for Mack Hollins (abdomen) won’t open today. The receiver won’t practice. pic.twitter.com/SM7TVhCkkc
— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) January 21, 2026
Vrabel did not commit to Hollins practicing at any point this week, or suiting up in the franchise's biggest game of the year this Sunday.
Hollins was placed on injured reserve after the team's 28-24 win in Baltimore on Dec. 21. He caught seven passes for 69 yards in the contest. He emerged as one of Drake Maye's top targets this season, catching 46 passes on 65 targets for 550 yards and six touchdowns.
If Hollins were to be unable to go again, the Patriots would continue their reliance upon Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Pop Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism as the primary receivers. Diggs, Boutte, and Douglas have received the lion's share of the snaps in three wide receiver sets since Hollins has been injured.
The Patriots and Broncos are playing for a spot in the Super Bowl on Sunday, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET in Denver.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.
Follow mikemcdanielsi