A.j. Brown's Impact And 4 More Unknowns As Patriots Training Camp Opens

Finally, it’s back to football for Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots.  

Veterans reported to the facility Friday, July 24, for the unofficial start of training camp, with the first practice set for July 25.

It’s been a long offseason for New England, which won the AFC championship last season. But much has happened since the drubbing the Patriots received from the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60.

MORE: 1 key storyline for each NFL team entering training camp

"When you don’t have a lot of expectations, you can’t be disappointed," head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters in June. "I just felt like there hasn’t been much complacency. I think the guys have worked. We’ve had great leadership, added some good leaders and good pieces, and we are continuing to build and hopefully prepare for a long journey."

Here are five questions that will be top of mind for the Patriots as they open camp.

What does growth look like for Drake Maye in Josh McDaniels’ offense?

In 2025, Drake Maye finished second in the MVP race in his second professional season. The arrival of Josh McDaniels as New England’s offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel was vital for Maye’s development. Maye and the offense had to learn an entirely new scheme a year ago.

Developing a mastery of it is his new task.

"It’s just naturally night and day from last year this time. I was trying to get things right, trying to get guys knowing where I was making calls and getting guys lined up," Maye said during OTAs. "Now we're just taking the next steps."

During spring practices, McDaniels and the offensive staff challenged Maye by occasionally having him break the huddle with less than 20 seconds remaining and no play called. It was Maye’s job to diagnose the defense and put the team in the proper play from the line of scrimmage.

Making the correct decision within the first few seconds of the snap of the ball has been a point of emphasis for the 2024 No. 3 overall pick.

"Knowing sometimes incompletions are the best plays, not trying to hold the ball too long and get out of the habit of really trying to extend plays just because I feel like I haven't extended a play in a while," Maye explained.

With Maye eligible for an extension following this season, there is no time like the present for the Patriots.

Can A.J. Brown take Patriots’ offense to the next level?

The Patriots made it to the Super Bowl minus any bona fide stars at the skill positions on offense. Bringing in a player of A.J. Brown's caliber, via a June 1 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in which the Patriots parted with a 2028 first-round pick, was an acknowledgement that doing so again would be difficult.

Brown has gone for more than 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven pro seasons, including the last four in Philadelphia. The Patriots had one receiver, Stefon Diggs, who had more than 1,000 yards (1,013), last year. Brown's physicality and production have been welcomed by the guy responsible for giving him the ball.

"It's really just on me to give him a chance to touch it, because more times than not, he's going to bring it in," Maye said. "That's exciting. Just knowing that a slant or something, a quick out, something that you can just give him the ball, he can go and break some tackles."

Brown’s ties to Vrabel from Tennessee means he knows what is expected of him as a veteran leader in the locker room.

MORE: Mike Vrabel, Jalen Hurts and more winners and losers of the A.J. Brown trade

Will Christian Gonzalez’s contract extension negotiations be handled swiftly?

Gonzalez, the last first-round pick made by Bill Belichick (17th overall, 2023 draft), is eligible for an extension. He sat out the early parts of the Patriots' offseason program but attended mandatory minicamp in a show of good faith. Gonzalez – named second-team All-Pro in 2024 and to the Pro Bowl in 2025 – is already considered a top-tier corner in the game, and the expectation is that his next contract will reflect that. He's said he wants the deal to be done prior to the start of the season.

Gonzalez, asked if it mattered to him to set the market for cornerback contracts, replied: “That’s another question that is between my agents and the Patriots and that team and what they value me at."

The 24-year-old said it was still early in the offseason. But that was during minicamp. Time is ticking.

MORE: Christian Gonzalez eyes Patriots extension. What could contract cost?

How long does Kayshon Boutte last?

The "X" receiver role – the player who often goes vertical in the route tree – is now filled primarily by Brown. Boutte, who caught 6 touchdowns on just 46 targets and 33 catches, is a viable trade candidate for the Patriots. But no deal was struck for the fourth-year wideout during the draft or to this point of the offseason. Maye appreciates him as a target, and maybe there is a future in which Boutte does not have to leave to shine. But that feels unlikely, making it a matter of when, and not if Boutte is dealt to a team that could better use his services.

Boutte was the team's third-leading receiver behind Diggs and tight end Hunter Henry.

MORE: These 13 NFL players could shake up the trade deadline in 2026

Will higher expectations have any effect on Patriots?

Nobody a year ago expected the Patriots to be playing in the Super Bowl. They might not be a sexy pick this year, either, but the point is that the 2025 Patriots demonstrated that the organization could rectify its ways in short order. The schedule, based on strength of victory and other metrics, proved easier than the average path to a Super Bowl.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A.J. Brown's impact and 4 more unknowns as Patriots training camp opens