New England signed Bradbury to a two-year deal in free agency.
Following his release from the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, center Garrett Bradbury had a close campaign pushing for him to join the New England Patriots. The leader of the movement was his brother-in-law, Jackson Kowar, who played baseball at the University of Florida with Drake Maye’s brother, Cole.
Kowar eventually got his wish as Bradbury inked a two-year, $9.5 million deal to join the Patriots, where the center has now gotten to know Drake through the early days of the team’s voluntary offseason program.
“I love Drake so far,” Bradbury said Thursday. “Got to know him a little bit. Played some competitive ping pong with him so there’ll be some battles in the future. He likes to golf, so we’ll probably get on the golf course at OTAs. It’s getting to know guys, building relationships, connections. So, looking forward to do that the next couple months.”
The center-quarterback relationship is one of the most important on the football field. The dynamic between the two positions this year will look different for Maye, however.
In offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s scheme last year, the majority of the pre-snap communication at the line of scrimmage fell on the shoulders of the center. With Josh McDaniels back at the helm, those duties will return to the quarterback’s responsibility.
“I think Drake will have a lot, but I think Drake’s ready for that. They wouldn’t put a lot on his plate if they didn’t have belief in him,” Bradbury said. “I think he’s a really smart young player, and it will only help him grow. I think sometimes you can just try and take a bunch off of the quarterback’s plate and it’s like, sure, let’s make a simple for him. But I think the more that’s on his plate, the more that you can understand a bigger picture.”
After spending six years with the Vikings, Bradbury was released — and then replaced in free agency — by the team this offseason after allowing a league-high 38 pressures at the center position last year.
The 29-year old is now looking forward to a fresh start in New England potentially protecting Maye as he joins a Patriots depth chart that includes Cole Strange and Ben Brown at the position.
“That’s the business. You never want to feel comfortable, but that’s a wake-up call. That’s ‘all right, here we go, that’s how they feel and they move on,’” Bradbury said of his release. “There’s no ill will. I’m not bitter towards the Vikings. It’s just a new opportunity for me. I think when there’s a change, if you don’t take that opportunity, you’re not going to grow from it. So it’s more about, ‘All right, I get to re-invent myself, I get to re-prove myself’. And the minute you think you have it figured out, you’re gone.
“So new team, new chapter, new offense – what can I bring? And you have to bring it every day. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned – meeting room, practice, weight room. So not even a wake-up call but it’s just new. It’s exciting. It’s a fresh start. New opportunity.”