The schedule release is one of the most anticipated dates on the NFL offseason calendar. Just don’t tell the New England Patriots’ players.
Leading up to the event on Thursday night, three of them took to the podium at Gillette Stadium to meet with the media. And they all sang the same tune: it doesn’t really bother them either way.
“Seventeen games is 17 games. We’re going to play football regardless,” said starting center Jared Wilson.
For Wilson, who joined the Patriots as a third-round draft choice
in 2025, this year’s schedule release is his second. Tight end Julian Hill and safety Mike Brown, on the other hand, have been through it several times in their respective four- and five-year careers.
Unsurprisingly, they too shared Wilson’s indifference about the topic.
“I know it sounds cliche, but whoever is on the schedule, whoever we have that week, that’s the talk,” said free agency signing Hill. “I don’t have social media, so I don’t know who we play Week 1. The guys in the locker room, they tell me. The coaches, they tell me who we’ve. got Week 1. I’m sure other guys might have different opinions, but myself, whoever is right there, that’s who I’m focused on.”
Brown, who also came to New England as a free agent earlier this year, does sense some excitement surrounding the event. However, it is not he who is the source of that.
“I think it’s more my family,” he explained. “Family is already asking about tickets and stuff like that. I mean, we know who we’ve got to play; we just don’t know when. But I think it’s more or less a family and friends thing. We’re excited to play every game.”
The Patriots’ first opportunity to play a game will come on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in a rematch of Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. From there, they will play four more primetime games and take an international trip to Germany, all while trying to defend their division title.
