Could the 2026 season be bad for the New England Patriots?
The New England Patriots had a great 2025 season in Year 1 of the Mike Vrabel era. They won the AFC and QB Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting.
However, ever since the calendar shifted to 2026, luck hasn't been on the Patriots' side. The team lost the Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks and Vrabel sought counseling after the whole Dianna Russini scandal.
NFL analyst Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report outlined New England's potential nightmare 2026 season scenario by writing, "A Super Bowl hangover and a distracting scandal involving head coach Mike Vrabel crush a young team as Drake Maye and Co. are exposed by a much more challenging schedule."
Photos showed Vrabel hugging and holding hands with Russini at an adults-only hotel in Arizona. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, told the New York Post that the photos didn't accurately reflect their interaction.
However, after initially receiving support from The Athletic, Russini announced she was resigning from her role at the outlet. There were also more photos released showing Russini and Vrabel kissing.
Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a player with New England. He is preparing for his second season as head coach of the Patriots after leading them to a 14-3 regular-season record last season, which ended with the Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks.
Maye finished the 2025 regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns while completing 72.0% of his passes. He finished in second in MVP voting to Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford.
The Patriots released Stefon Diggs and signed Romeo Doubs. Once June hits, New England is expected to acquire A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles haven't been highly incentivized to move Brown right now for financial reasons. A trade before June 1 would come with a 2026 cap hit of over $40 million, compared to less than $20 million if he's dealt after that date.
Brown has 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Eagles. He's been heavily linked to the Patriots because Vrabel coached him in Tennessee.
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