Tag: New England Patriots

First review on Ben Johnson’s interview with Patriots

Ben Johnson’s interview with the Patriots reportedly went “great”

The New England Patriots interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their vacant head coach position, and the interview reportedly went “great,” according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

The Patriots met with Johnson over a Zoom call since the Lions are currently in the postseason. It happened a day after the team met with former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel.

Johnson was most recently the mastermind of a high-powered Lions offense that averaged a league-high 33.2 points per game. That’s one of many reasons he has been among the more sought-after names in this coaching cycle.

Johnson would bring an offensive-minded style to the Patriots’ organization, a stylistic departure for a team that has typically employed defensive-minded head coaches.

Vrabel seems to be the top candidate, but Johnson would be the kind of hire to shake things up and get away from the old way of doing things. There are pros and cons for both candidates.

What direction will the Patriots go in?

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QB Joe Milton responds to Patriots fans angry at team for not tanking

Joe Milton comments on the team’s refusal to tank for the No. 1 draft pick

The New England Patriots have been called out consistently for beating the Buffalo Bills in the season finale and losing the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft.

Quarterback Joe Milton III, who played for most of the game, went on his Instagram Live and responded to the noise from frustrated fans.

“I ain’t played football since preseason. If y’all was in my shoes and y’all was given an opportunity to go play, why would you go out there and not show up and show out?” said Milton. “Why would I go out there? So y’all can talk about me if I lose? Ya’ll want me to go out there and lose and ya’ll be like, ‘Oh, I’m glad he lost so he can get traded.’ And then what? Make that make sense.” 

Milton played at a high level against the Bills going 22-of-29 passing for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also tacked on a rushing touchdown in a game where he finished with a 75.9 completion percentage.

His performance was a big reason why the Patriots were able to come away with the 23-16 victory. Unfortunately, the win moved them down the draft board to the No. 4 overall pick.

With that said, Milton was simply playing for his job and position on the team. It’s the same with every player on the field in the NFL. It comes with the territory of competing in a performance-based league.

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Latest update gives wiggle room for Ben Johnson as Patriots coach

The Patriots are open to being “blown away” by Ben Johnson

The New England Patriots continued their rounds of head coaching interviews on Friday with a virtual meeting with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Many view Mike Vrabel as the top candidate for the job in New England, but a recent update from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler didn’t completely dismiss the possibility that Johnson could land the job.

According to Fowler, the Patriots were open to being “blown away” by Johnson.

“Patriots are open to being blown away by Johnson today,” Fowler posted on social media. “No other known interviews scheduled after that, and Mike Vrabel looms large as a prime candidate. Today feels like a pivotal day.”

Under Johnson, the Lions were one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL in 2024, as they averaged 33.2 points per game and 409.5 yards per game. The offensive metrics translated well to success on the field with the Lions finishing the regular season with a 15-2 record.

It sounds as though New England could be nearing a decision for their head coaching vacancy. Whatever the case may be, the Patriots are looking for stability, as they seek to land their second coach in as many seasons.

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Jerod Mayo’s wife calls out ‘lies’ and ‘fake stories’ after Patriots firing

Jerod Mayo’s wife, Chantel, is calling out “lies” and “fake stories”

Former New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo’s wife, Chantel, fired back on social media at what she deems as “lies” and “fake stories” following Mayo’s firing.

Owner Robert Kraft announced the decision to fire Mayo after only one year as a head coach. It was a decision that raised eyebrows considering the poor state of the team when Mayo agreed to take over. There was a belief this would be a long-term rebuild with him growing in the role.

However, some have pointed to Mayo’s struggles leading the team. A recent report from The Athletic’s Chad Graff even touched on a moment that happened on a plane ride back home, following a bad loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

While assistant coaches were reviewing the film of the game, Mayo reportedly joined players who had congregated to play cards instead. Chantel didn’t point to a specific article in her comments, but she did call out the stories being written about her husband.

“It never even crossed our minds to tell the truth…But I couldn’t even fathom all of the lies we read that are being told to save face. What happened to class?” Chantel posted in an Instagram story. “We’ve been taking the high road and letting everyone do their thing since Sunday. But playing with someone’s name won’t be tolerated. I bet the fake stories will stop before the real ones start.”

Kraft took the blame for Mayo being fired when speaking with media members on Monday. He admitted to putting the first-year head coach in an “untenable” situation in New England.

Mayo has yet to comment since his firing.

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Drew Brees talks partnership with Bounty, Super Bowl heading to New Orleans

Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski have partnered with Bounty paper towels, and are headed to New Orleans together for the Super Bowl:

Drew Brees and Rob Gronkowski’s playing days are behind them, but they’re doing big things off the field. And they are doing it together. Both players have partnered with Bounty paper towels ahead of this year’s Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome, and I caught up with them earlier this week.

“I’m a Bounty man, I’ve been with them for about three years now and I’m fired up to be once again,” Gronkowski told me. “Every year I have a wingman. Last year, it was Julian Edelman, who was my teammate on the New England Patriots for nine years.”

Partnering with Brees especially appealed to Gronkowski because of the fact he has such strong connections to the Big Easy.

Gronkowski continued: “And, now this year, with the Super Bowl being in New Orleans, I needed a final wingman out there to show me the city, because I’ve never really been there before. Who is better to do that than Drew Brees?”

Brees has brought a lot of success to the city that it has not seen since he left the field there.

“He’s brought the Super Bowl to the city there and is basically the mayor there,” Gronkowski said. “He knows all the things about that place, knows all of the restaurants, so I call up Drew, asked him to be my wingman, and he accepted it with no problem.”

The former Saints quarterback was immediately on board with the idea and Gronkowski’s thinking behind it.

“He loved the saying — you can’t have football without wings and you can’t have wings without Bounty,” Gronkowski said. “Loved that I’m from Buffalo, and I love my buffalo wings … But whenever I eat them, I always cause a mess and it gets cleaned up by my quicker picker upper, Bounty paper towels. So, I appreciate Drew tagging along this year.”

Brees echoed Gronkowski’s thoughts and said he was greatly looking forward to the pair teaming up down in the bayou.

“I’ll be his wingman any time,” Brees said. “I’m excited to get Gronk out to New Orleans and I can’t believe he’s never been down there before. We’re going to have a great Super Bowl there.”

Super Bowl LIX is set for Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome. Like Brees and Gronkowski, we’ll be watching.

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Patriots’ rising star cornerback gets All-Pro honors

Christian Gonzalez gets his first All-Pro nod

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was named to the Associated Press’ Second-Team All-Pro Team on Friday.

Gonzalez had a stellar season in his second year with the Patriots, recording 59 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and 11 pass deflections. He is one of two Patriots players to earn the All-Pro honor.

Special teams ace and safety Brenden Schooler also made the list as a First-Team All-Pro. It is worth noting that Gonzalez was somehow snubbed in the Pro Bowl voting, despite being one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in 2024.

He still came away with one of the highest individual honors for a player.

Gonzalez wanted to be a Pro Bowler, but he was clear in his message that making the All-Pro team was his main goal. He accomplished that goal this season, and he will likely set the bar even higher in 2025.

The Oregon product was thought to be one of the biggest steals of the 2023 NFL draft for going 17th overall to the Patriots. This All-Pro recognition proves that belief to be true.

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Multiple Patriots personnel ‘disapproved’ of Rooney Rule handling

People in New England reportedly “disapproved” of the team’s handling of the Rooney Rule in the head coach search

The New England Patriots received significant backlash for their handling of the Rooney Rule in their ongoing search for a new head coach.

On Tuesday, the team satisfied the rule that required them to have at least two external interviews with minority candidates by interviewing Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton. Both candidates haven’t coached since 2022 and likely aren’t serious options for the Patriots’ head coaching job.

Per a report from Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed, multiple people in the building “disapproved” of owner Robert Kraft’s handling of the Rooney Rule.

Rather than going through an extensive search, the Patriots seemingly checked off two minority candidates to expedite the process of getting to the coach they really want, who most believe to be former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

Callahan and Kyed wrote:

Multiple team sources disapproved of ownership’s clear flouting of the Rooney Rule, disrespecting the process and declining to gather intel from external coaching candidates about how their organizations operate and their visions for how the Patriots could run.

“Wild,” one said. “Just wild.”

The Patriots requested an interview with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but Glenn denied the request and instead chose to interview with other teams.

A dark cloud of drama and disappointment has continued to follow the Patriots since the fall of the dynasty. However, there’s hope that the organization can find new life with a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye and its eventual new head coach.

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Patriots special teams star earns second straight All-Pro nod

Brenden Schooler is a First-Team All-Pro

New England Patriots special teams ace Brenden Schooler was named to the First-Team All-Pro team. The NFLPA announced the offense, defense and special teams roster on Wednesday.

This comes a week after Schooler received his first Pro Bowl nod in the NFL. Like the Pro Bowl, Schooler was the only player on the Patriots roster to receive the First-Team All-Pro accolade.

It’s no surprise considering how well he performed this season. He finished with 13 tackles and two sacks on the year. The Patriots found ways to incorporate him more on defense than normal, and he succeeded in the expanded role.

Schooler has come a long way in a short time considering he was an undrafted rookie out of college. Now, two years later, he’s being recognized as one of the best players in the league.

The Patriots have benefitted greatly from going from arguably the greatest special teams player of all time with Matthew Slater to a fast-rising star in Schooler.

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Report: Patriots request interview with playoff-bound assistant

The Patriots have reportedly requested to interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn

The New England Patriots have submitted a request to interview Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. This was reported by NFL insider Albert Breer on Wednesday.

Glenn has been the defensive coordinator for the Lions since 2021. He was previously the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns.

The Lions had a stellar defense in 2024. They allowed the second-lowest opponent completion percentage average at 61.1 yards per game. They only allowed 18 passing touchdowns on the season and recorded 16 takeaways. The Lions’ defense was stellar in defending the run as well. They gave up an average of only 98.4 rushing yards per game.

This would be the second Lions assistant coach to be interviewed by the Patriots. The organization has reportedly scheduled an interview with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Friday.

Glenn would undoubtedly help solidify a Patriots defensive unit that ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in 2024. A defensive-minded coach with Glenn’s success and experience could get the unit back on track.

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Ben Johnson’s interview date for Patriots head coaching job revealed

The Patriots are scheduled to interview Lions OC Ben Johnson on Friday

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is scheduled to interview on Friday for the New England Patriots head coaching job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Wednesday.

Johnson’s offense in Detroit was the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the league in 2024. The Lions averaged 33.2 points per game and 409.5 total yards per game. Only the Baltimore Ravens had a high yardage total.

Johnson worked his way up from offensive quality control coach to offensive coordinator for the Lions in 2022. It was reported earlier in the week that the Patriots had planned to interview Johnson. They are also set to interview Mike Vrabel on Thursday.

Both candidates are believed to be the top two available options in the 2025 coaching cycle.

The Patriots have mostly hired defensive-minded coaches. So Johnson would be a change from that line of thinking. His offensive background could be a strong fit for the continued development of Drake Maye and the overall offensive unit.

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