Conor Roche Articles - Page 5

The New England Patriots put an end to the Mac Jones era on Sunday, reportedly agreeing to trade him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for just a sixth-round pick. The move ends what was a once-promising tenure for the quarterback in New England. But Jones’ standout rookie season in 2021 feels ancient after how the last […]

The New England Patriots are set to have plenty of cap room when free agency opens, but that doesn’t mean they need to spend it all on highly priced, big-name players. Following a 4-13 campaign in 2023, it’s evident that the Patriots need to round out their roster with talent at several positions. The best […]

The New England Patriots re-signing Kyle Dugger and adding Baker Mayfield in free agency have been two of the most desired moves by those who follow the team this offseason, but they’re two of the players Jerod Mayo’s team must avoid most. Sure, the Patriots have just under $85 million in cap space at their […]

The New England Patriots are making an effort to keep Kyle Dugger in town ahead of free agency. The veteran safety has received a contract offer from the team a couple of weeks ahead of free agency, MassLive’s Karen Guregian and Mark Daniels reported Thursday. The details of the offer is unknown, but Dugger is […]

New England Patriots head Jerod Mayo hasn’t been at the job for long, but he’s already taking back a comment he made about the team’s free agency plans. Mayo poured a bit of cold water on his quote from January that the Patriots were “ready to burn some cash” in free agency this offseason. The […]

Jerod Mayo wants to make it clear that the new leadership for the New England Patriots isn’t taking shots at Bill Belichick with their comments. The Patriots head coach tried to clear the air on comments made by himself and director of scouting Eliot Wolf that were perceived by some as digs at Belichick when […]

One of Eliot Wolf’s first tasks as the New England Patriots’ chief roster decision-maker will be figuring out whether he wants to give Michael Onwenu or Kyle Dugger the franchise tag. Wolf didn’t rule anything out when it comes to the Patriots’ two premier free agents this offseason, stating a desire to bring both players […]

Eliot Wolf didn’t necessarily tip his hand on what the New England Patriots will do at quarterback this season at the NFL Combine, but it doesn’t sound too great for Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Speaking to reporters for the first time since reportedly becoming the Patriots’ chief roster decision-maker, Wolf seemed to acknowledge the […]

There were multiple reasons why Alex Van Pelt was an easy choice to be the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, according to Jerod Mayo. The new Patriots head coach shared why the team hired Van Pelt to run the offense after an extensive search, which featured 12 known candidates for the role before they hired […]

Mac Jones’ future with the New England Patriots is uncertain, but new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt seems to be open to the idea of the quarterback returning for another season. Van Pelt is also open to change, too. In his introductory press conference, Van Pelt gave a non-committal answer when asked if he thinks […]

Bill Belichick tipped his cap to Matthew Slater once again on Tuesday, joining the chorus of those showing the New England Patriots icon in praise after he announced his retirement. The former Patriots head coach doubled down on a previous sentiment of where Slater ranks among these special teams players in the history of the […]

If it wasn’t already trending that way, it appears Trent Brown’s time with the New England Patriots is coming to an end as he prepares to hit free agency. Brown’s contract is set to void on Monday without an extension agreement in place, officially making the offensive tackle a free agent when the new league […]

Matthew Judon doesn’t have a preference on who is the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback in 2024 as long as they’re doing their job. The Patriots star edge rusher admitted that he just wants to see better quarterback play when asked if he thought Mac Jones is still a “good fit” with the team, via […]

The New England Patriots offense was historically bad at points in the 2023 season, which upset members of the defense, such as Jonathan Jones. In an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand,” the Patriots cornerback admitted that players on the defensive side were frustrated with the offense’s performance, particularly when the defense […]

Before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jakobi Meyers wanted to remain with the New England Patriots. However, Bill Belichick and the Patriots had a firm number they weren’t willing to compromise on. The veteran wide receiver said that the Patriots’ offer to him was $1 million short of the contract he received from the Raiders; […]

The New England Patriots have found their new offensive coordinator, hiring Alex Van Pelt to lead the unit and replace Bill O’Brien. Van Pelt, 53, is the most senior coordinator of new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s staff. The former NFL quarterback has spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, most recently […]

The New England Patriots are adding more candidates to their offensive coordinator search, and it appears new head coach Jerod Mayo is eyeing a new offensive system for the organization. Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson have interviewed with the Patriots for their offensive coordinator vacancy in recent […]

Jerod Mayo may have replaced Bill Belichick as the New England Patriots head coach, but he’s still rooting for him and thinks he can still coach in the league. The new New England head coach gave his support for his predecessor during an interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “I feel like […]

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo gave a clear sign of what the team plans to do this offseason. The first-year coach strongly indicated that the Patriots will be spending in free agency, acknowledging the team’s cap space entering the 2024 offseason. “We’re bringing in talent, 1000 percent,” Mayo said when asked during an […]

Jerod Mayo was officially introduced as the new head coach of the New England Patriots on Wednesday, becoming the 15th head coach in franchise history. He also made history in the process. Mayo is the first Black coach in the 65 years of the Patriots’ existence, an honor that he admittedly takes pride in. As […]

Robert Kraft made his first head coach hiring in 24 years official on Wednesday when he introduced Jerod Mayo as the New England Patriots’ next head coach. But the hiring of Mayo brings some similarities to Bill Belichick for the Patriots owner. Kraft explained that he had a similar conviction to hiring Mayo as he […]

Jerod Mayo seems to at least be pondering the idea of making some changes to the New England Patriots coaching staff. The Patriots are looking into a pair of coaches to possibly be the team’s next defensive coordinator and special teams coach. New England has requested to interview Carolina Panthers outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu […]

The New England Patriots and Robert Kraft acted swiftly in replacing Bill Belichick, officially naming Jerod Mayo as their next head coach on Friday. Mayo earned the top job after spending the last five seasons on the Patriots’ coaching staff, working as a linebackers coach for his entire time staff before the promotion. While Mayo […]

Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots have to do something they haven’t done in two dozen years after parting ways with head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots are in the market for a head coach, with Kraft telling reporters Thursday the team plans to swiftly find Belichick’s successor. So, here are the top-seven replacements […]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft made it clear that the performance of the team wasn’t up to par when explaining the decision to part ways with Bill Belichick on Thursday. After holding a joint press conference with Belichick earlier Thursday, Kraft addressed reporters alone and shared what he’s seeking in the coach’s replacement. Kraft […]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft knew something had to change after the team’s 4-13 season in 2023, leading to the team to part ways with Bill Belichick on Thursday. After holding a mutual press conference with the former Patriots coach earlier in the day, Kraft admitted in a separate press conference that the team […]

The Tennessee Titans announced Tuesday that they’re moving on from Mike Vrabel. Now, it’s time for the New England Patriots to do the same thing with Bill Belichick. Through the first two days of their offseason, the Patriots have yet to determine Belichick’s fate. The head coach took a defiant approach when he spoke with […]

The snowy conditions in the New England Patriots’ 17-3 loss to the New York Jets didn’t go the way that Ezekiel Elliott dreamed it would go. Elliott, an eight-year veteran, had long hoped to play in a snow game, with his first coming on Sunday. But, now he’s hoping his first snow game was his […]

Matthew Slater and Bill Belichick likely spent their last game with the New England Patriots on Sunday. As the end of an era likely nears its end in Foxborough, Slater gave some kind words about the Patriots’ coach. Slater expressed gratitude for Belichick, who drafted him in the fifth round in the 2008 NFL Draft. […]

The New England Patriots’ decision to make Mac Jones a healthy scratch and their emergency quarterback for Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets surprised some, but the quarterback wasn’t shocked by the decision. Jones told Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar that he “wasn’t surprised” by the Patriots’ decision to scratch him on Sunday, noting that he […]

If Sunday’s game against the New York Jets was the final game of David Andrews’ career, that would certainly be news to the New England Patriots center. Andrews expressed a willingness to continue playing football following Sunday’s loss, which dropped the Patriots to 4-13 and ended their 2023 season. “I think I’ve still got some […]

The New England Patriots offensive line has failed them for much of the season, which is actually a bit of a surprise to Bill Belichick despite some of the warning signs. The Patriots head coach was asked during a press conference on Wednesday if he envisioned the problems the team would have at offensive tackle […]

Bailey Zappe has taken over as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, and he will be starter for their final six games of the 2023 season, assuming he starts against the New York Jets in Week 18. Whether he played well enough to get the chance to compete for the starting job in 2024 remains […]

The New England Patriots, as did every other team in the NFL, had the opportunity to sign Lamar Jackson when the Baltimore Ravens star was a free agent this past offseason. As the Patriots didn’t really pursue the MVP favorite, Bill Belichick was unexpectedly candid about why the team didn’t make a push to sign […]

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots made an interesting decision prior to their loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, scratching offensive tackle Trent Brown from the lineup even though he wasn’t on the injury report. Brown has dealt with injuries recently, being listed on the injury report with ankle, knee and hand ailments […]

Bailey Zappe arguably had the worst performance of his two-year career in the New England Patriots’ 27-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The quarterback threw three interceptions over the Patriots’ first six drives of the game, a stretch that also included a lost fumble for New England as Zappe’s third interception was returned […]

The New England Patriots’ defense put up a performance worthy enough to upset the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but their offense held them back again in a major way, leading David Andrews to make a blunt assessment. Speaking to reporters following New England’s 27-21 loss, the Patriots center simply explained that four turnovers by the […]

Bailey Zappe put up another impressive performance on Sunday, helping the New England Patriots upset the Denver Broncos en route to his second win over four starts this season. While the win brought some happiness, it also made some wonder what Mac Jones’ future looks like, but Bill O’Brien doesn’t seem to be too worried […]

Chad Ryland was in a pretty rough spot before he came on for the game-winning field goal in the New England Patriots’ upset win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The rookie kicker’s struggles continued again earlier in Sunday’s game. He missed a 47-yard field goal wide right in the first half and banged the […]