The New England Patriots will return to work later this month to kick off their offseason workout program.
As was announced by the league on Friday, the Patriots will start workouts on April 20. While those initial sessions are voluntary, as is most of the offseason program, the expectation is that a healthy portion of head coach Mike Vrabel’s roster will be present.
From there, the intensity will gradually build over the coming weeks. The initial wave of workouts will make way to eight organized team
activities as well as mid-June’s mandatory minicamp.
The tentative dates for those sessions look as follows:
- First day: April 20
- Organized team activities: May 27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11
- Mandatory minicamp: June 15-17
Compared to Vrabel’s first year with the organization, the Patriots’ spring calendar looks slightly different in 2026. The club will open two weeks later this spring and also not hold a voluntary minicamp reserved for teams that changed head coaches during the offseason.
Other than that, the offseason program follows its usual rhythm as outlined in Article 21 of the NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The first phase limits player participation to meetings, strength and conditioning work as well as physical rehabilitation. It spans the initial two weeks of the program.
The second phase, which lasts three weeks, sees the introduction of on-field workouts under coaching supervision. This includes individual or group instruction and drills, “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up opposite offensive players and defensive players lining up opposite defensive players. No full-speed or full team drills are permitted, however.
From then on, OTAs and mandatory minicamp will see the Patriots conduct 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills. As with the rest of the offseason workout program, full pads and live contact are not allowed.
