The New England Patriots are about to begin their preparation for the 2026 season. On Monday, players are invited to Gillette Stadium to begin the offseason workout program.
The first phase will focus exclusively on strength and conditioning work and like most of the program is voluntary to attend. Nonetheless, the expectation is that a significant portion of the roster will participate. Among the players set to arrive at the Patriots’ facility on Monday are starting quarterback Drake Maye as well
as most if not all of the team’s leaders and free agency signings.
The offseason workout program consists of three phases, and will run for almost two months. As stipulated by Article 21 of the NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, all of it with the exception of mandatory minicamp in mid-June is voluntary.
The first phase, as mentioned above, will focus on strength and conditioning. Players are allowed to spend 90 minutes on the field each day and two hours in total at the club facility under team supervision. Patriots director of sports performance Frank Piraino, who arrived alongside head coach Mike Vrabel last year, will lead the charge.
After two weeks, the Patriots will transition to Phase 2. Over a three-week period, they will be permitted to hold individual and group drills. Additionally, offensive players will be allowed to line up across from other offensive players, and defensive players will be permitted to do the same on their side of the ball. No full-speed or full team drills are permitted at that point in time.
The third and final phase will start in late May and cover the last four weeks of the program. The Patriots will be able to hold 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, but neither live contact nor full pads are permitted. Phase 3 will also feature 10 days of organized team activities as well as the aforementioned mandatory minicamp on June 15-17.
The reigning AFC champions announced their full offseason workout schedule earlier this month.
