2026 New England Patriots season

2026 New England Patriots season
OwnerRobert Kraft
General managerEliot Wolf
Head coachMike Vrabel
Offensive coordinatorJosh McDaniels
Defensive coordinatorZak Kuhr
Home stadiumGillette Stadium
Uniform

The 2026 season will be the New England Patriots' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), their 67th overall, their third under de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and their second under head coach Mike Vrabel. The Patriots will look to match or improve on their 14–3 record from the previous season and become the first team originating in the American Football League to reach 600 lifetime wins.

Roster changes

Free agency

Unrestricted

Position Player 2026 team Date signed Contract
LB K'Lavon Chaisson Washington Commanders March 13, 2026[1] 1 year, $11 million[2]
S Jaylinn Hawkins Baltimore Ravens March 12, 2026[3] 2 years, $10 million[4]
TE Austin Hooper Atlanta Falcons March 12, 2026[5] 1 year, $3.25 million[6]
OT Vederian Lowe San Francisco 49ers March 12, 2026[7] 2 years, $9.25 million[8]
OT Thayer Munford
DT Khyiris Tonga Kansas City Chiefs March 12, 2026[9] 3 years, $21 million[10]

Restricted

Position Player 2026 team Date signed Contract
CB Alex Austin Miami Dolphins March 12, 2026[11] 1 year, $1.22 million[12]
QB Tommy DeVito New England Patriots TBC 2 years, $4.4 million[13]
OT Yasir Durant
LB Jack Gibbens Arizona Cardinals March 16, 2026[14] 2 years, $7.5 million[15]
DT Jaquelin Roy

Exclusive Rights

Position Player 2026 team Date signed Contract
DT Isaiah Iton
RB Deneric Prince
FB Jack Westover New England Patriots TBC 1 year, $1.075 million[16]

Signings/waiver claims

Position Player Previous team Date signed Contract
LB Jesse Luketa Los Angeles Rams March 05, 2026[17] 1 year, $1.145 million[18]
S Mike Brown Tennessee Titans March 12, 2026[19] 1 year, $1.315 million[20]
S Kevin Byard Chicago Bears 1 year, $7 million[21]
WR Romeo Doubs Green Bay Packers 4 years, $68 million[22]
FB Reggie Gilliam Buffalo Bills 3 years, $10.8 million[23]
TE Julian Hill Miami Dolphins 3 years, $15 million[24]
LB Dre'Mont Jones Baltimore Ravens 3 years, $36.5 million[25]
OG Alijah Vera-Tucker New York Jets 3 years, $42 million[26]
LB K.J. Britt Miami Dolphins March 16, 2026[27] 1 year, $1.4025 million[28]
LS Niko Lalos New Orleans Saints 1 year, $1.005 million[29]
CB Kindle Vildor Tampa Bay Buccaneers TBC 1 year, TBC[30]

Releases/waivers

Position Player Date released/waived
RB Antonio Gibson February 23, 2026[31]
WR Stefon Diggs March 11, 2026[32]
LB Anfernee Jennings
LB Jahlani Tavai

Trades

Draft

Main article: 2026 NFL draft
2026 New England Patriots draft selections
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 31
2 63
3 95
4 125 From Bears via Chiefs
131
5 171
6 191 From Chiefs
198 From Vikings via Texans, Vikings and 49ers
202 From Steelers
212
7 224

Staff

New England Patriots staff
Front office
  • Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft
  • President – Jonathan Kraft
  • Executive vice president of player personnel – Eliot Wolf
  • Vice president of player personnel – Ryan Cowden
  • Vice president of football operations and strategy – John Streicher
  • Vice president of football administration – Matt Groh
  • Senior personnel executive – Alonzo Highsmith
  • Director of pro scouting – AJ Highsmith
  • Director of college scouting – Tony Kinkela
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Matt Evans
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Sam Fioroni
  • Director of scouting administration – Nancy Meier
  • Director of scouting projects – Marshall Oium
  • Director of coaching analytics – Ekene Olekanma
  • Director of player development – James Mitchell
  • Director of Research – Richard Miller
  • Director of football operations – Bobby Brown
  • Personnel coordinator – Brian Smith
Head coach
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Zak Kuhr
  • Defensive line – Clint McMillan
  • Inside linebackers – Vinny DePalma
  • Outside linebackers – Mike Smith
  • Cornerbacks – Justin Hamilton
  • Secondary – Scott Booker
  • Defensive assistant – B.J. Edmonds
  • Defensive assistant – Kevin Richardson
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
  • Director of sports performance – Frank Piraino
  • Strength and conditioning – Deron Mayo
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Brandon Martuccio
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Brian McDonough


→ Coaching staff
→ Front office
→ More NFL staffs

Current roster

New England Patriots roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Impending free agents (FA)

Preseason

The Patriots' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring.

Regular season

2026 opponents

Listed below are the Patriots' opponents for 2026. Exact dates and times will be announced in the spring.[33]

Category Home Away
Division opponents
(AFC East)		 Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
Conference opponents
(AFC West)		 Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders		 Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Conference opponents
(based on 2025 division placement)		 Pittsburgh Steelers Jacksonville Jaguars
Interconference opponents
(NFC North)		 Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings		 Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Interconference opponent
(based on 2025 division placement)		 No game Seattle Seahawks

References

  1. ^ "Commanders sign DE K'Lavon Chaisson". www.commanders.com. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  2. ^ Spotrac. "K'Lavon Chaisson | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  3. ^ "Ravens Sign Veteran Safety Jaylinn Hawkins". www.baltimoreravens.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  4. ^ Spotrac. "Jaylinn Hawkins | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  5. ^ "Atlanta Falcons sign TE Austin Hooper". www.atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  6. ^ Spotrac. "Austin Hooper | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  7. ^ "49ers Announce Signing of OL Lowe, OL Toth; Re-Sign TE Tonges". www.49ers.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Spotrac. "Vederian Lowe | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  9. ^ "Five Things to Know About New Chiefs DT Khyiris Tonga". www.chiefs.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  10. ^ Spotrac. "Khyiris Tonga | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  11. ^ "Dolphins sign Austin". www.miamidolphins.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  12. ^ Spotrac. "Alex Austin | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  13. ^ Spotrac. "Tommy DeVito | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  14. ^ "Cardinals Load Up On Depth With Jack Gibbens, Andrew Billings". www.azcardinals.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  15. ^ Spotrac. "Jack Gibbens | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  16. ^ "Jack Westover | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  17. ^ "Patriots Sign LB Jesse Luketa". www.patriots.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  18. ^ "Jesse Luketa | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  19. ^ "Patriots Announce Free Agent Signings". www.patriots.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  20. ^ "Mike Brown | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  21. ^ "Kevin Byard | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  22. ^ "Romeo Doubs | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  23. ^ "Reggie Gilliam | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  24. ^ "Julian Hill | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  25. ^ "Dre'Mont Jones | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  26. ^ "Alijah Vera-Tucker | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  27. ^ "Patriots Sign LB K.J. Britt and LS Niko Lalos". www.patriots.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  28. ^ "K.J. Britt | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  29. ^ "Niko Lalos | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  30. ^ "Kindle Vildor | NFL Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  31. ^ "Patriots Release RB Antonio Gibson". www.patriots.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  32. ^ a b "Patriots Trade C Garrett Bradbury to the Chicago Bears; Release WR Stefon Diggs, LB Anfernee Jennings and LB Jahlani Tavai". www.patriots.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  33. ^ "2026 NFL season: Team-by-team opponents for every game". NFL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2026.

Notes

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