Patriots Move 3-Day Minicamp Up 1 Week as Sept. 9 NFL Opener Advances Schedule
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jun 7
Patriots Move 3-Day Minicamp Up 1 Week as Sept. 9 NFL Opener Advances Schedule
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jun 7
Summary
Mike Vrabel shifted New England's mandatory minicamp from June 15-17 to this week, starting Tuesday, effectively shortening the Patriots' offseason by one week.
Sept. 9 appears to be the driver: the Patriots were picked for the NFL's regular-season opening game, moving their overall calendar up by four days.
Christian Gonzalez's contract situation and Kayshon Boutte trade rumors are among the main camp storylines, though Boutte said he will report for Day 1 and Gonzalez is widely expected to attend.
The accelerated camp comes as New England also tracks Drake Maye's second-year progress in Josh McDaniels' offense and adjusts after tight end Julian Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The move mirrors other opener-related scheduling tweaks around the league, with San Francisco canceling its final offseason week before a Sept. 10 season start.