Patriots Return To Gillette Stadium As Offseason Program Kicks Off

April 20 marks the beginning of the New England Patriots prep schedule for next season.

Jun 9, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; /The New England Patriots huddle during minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are officially back at Gillette Stadium.

The team's 2026 offseason program kicks off today, marking the start of the Patriots quest for back-to-back division and conference titles. While these workouts are optional, it's expected that most of the team will be in attendance.

These workouts kick off what will soon be a gradual ramp-up period. While the team's first official day back is April 20, they won't begin organized team activities (OTAs) until the end of May. Those will be held on May 27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9 and June 11. From June 15 to 17, the Patriots will hold their mandatory minicamp.

If you've seen other teams across the league already start their offseason workouts, that's not by accident. Teams with new head coaches are granted a two-week head start on the rest of the league. It was the same thing offered to New England last year when Mike Vrabel was hired.

What Will Patriots Be Doing This Week?

The first two weeks of the offseason program consists of mainly off-field work. Players, per the NFL/NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, are allowed to participate in strength and conditioning work, as well as rehabilitation drills and meetings. The second phase, which lasts three weeks, will be the start of on-field workouts. These drills aren't allowed to be done at full speed or with the entire team, however.

OTAs and mandatory minicamp are the first times that the Patriots can conduct team drills, including 7-on-7s, 9-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Full pads aren't allowed in these drills and won't be until training camp begins later on in the summer months.

Jun 10, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel (l) and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (r) speak to each other during minicamp held in the WIN Field House at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Speaking to reporters last week, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf spoke about the team heading into the 2026 season. After a free agency that saw the Patriots net Kevin Byard, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Dre'Mont Jones and Romeo Doubs, the Patriots' de facto general manager has high hopes for next year's roster.

"Yeah, I think so," Wolf said when asked if he believes the current team is better than the one that walked off the field in Super Bowl LX. "With some of the free agent moves that we've done – primarily that because we haven't done a lot of other things. But yeah, I think so, and then we'll continue to supplement it.

"We've definitely increased our flexibility in terms of what exactly the needs – again, the needs on paper are just for this year, but yeah, I think we've improved."

The upcoming week is a big one for the Patriots. With 11 draft picks set for this weekend's NFL Draft, it will give fans their first look at what the majority of next year's roster will look like. Several players, as well as members of the front office, are expected to speak to the media this week as well.

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