The Patriots open camp on Wednesday, July 23, and we have everything you need to know about it.
After what has been another whirlwind of an offseason for the New England Patriots, the team of new head coach Mike Vrabel will ramp up its preparation for the upcoming 2025 season. On Wednesday, July 23, they will kick off their training camp.
Over the next few weeks, the team will gradually increase the intensity and competition to get ready for the start of the regular season in early September. At that point, the roster will also have been reduced from currently 91 to 53 players.
Before any of that becomes relevant, however, the team will hold 13 practices open to the public. To be as best informed as possible, here is our annual and updated Patriots Training Camp Guide.
Practice schedule
Like they did last year — a change from the Bill Belichick era — the Patriots have announced their full training camp schedule already. While dates and times are always subject to change depending on whether or other factors, here is the list as of the start of camp.
- Wednesday, July 23: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Thursday, July 24: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Friday, July 25: 10 a.m. ET
- Sunday, July 26: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Monday, July 28: 10:30 a.m. ET
- Tuesday, July 29: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Wednesday, July 30: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Thursday, July 31: 10 a.m. ET
- Friday, August 1: 6 p.m. ET (exclusive in-stadium practice for season ticket members)
- Monday, August 4: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Tuesday, August 5: 10 a.m. ET
- Wednesday, August 6: 10:15 a.m. ET (joint practice with Washington)
- Sunday, August 10: 10:15 a.m. ET
Gates will open one hour before each session (i.e. between 9 and 9:15 a.m. ET for regular sessions) and close about an hour after. Please note that the schedule is subject to change. If a session has to be relocated to the adjacent WIN Waste Innovations Field House because of inclement weather, it can no longer be open to the general public.
In case you plan to visit training camp, you therefore need to stay up to date. Besides visiting Pats Pulpit for updates please also call 508-549-0001 or visit patriots.com/trainingcamp.
Arrival and parking
Directions: Prior to the 2015 training camp, the Boston Globe wrote down directions to Gillette Stadium. Since none of the locations have changed, these directions still apply and we will just quote them here:
From Boston and farther north: Take I-95 South to Exit 9. Follow Rte. 1 south approximately 3 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the left).
From Cape Cod: I-495 North to Exit 14A. Follow Rte. 1 north about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).
From southern Connecticut, Rhode Island: Take I-95 North to I-495 North to Exit 14A. Follow Rte. 1 north about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).
From northern Connecticut, Vermont, upstate New York: I-90 East to I-495 South to Exit 14A. Follow Rte. 1 north about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).
Parking: Parking at the stadium facilities’ parking lots is free for all public practice sessions. If you arrive from the north (e.g. Boston), use parking lot entrance P6. If you arrive from the south (e.g. Providence), use parking lot entrance P8. ADA parking can be found in Lot 4 and in Lot 22.
Fan services
Alumni appearances: Just like last year, Patriots alumni will make special appearances at training camp. While those are always subject to change, the following ex-players are currently scheduled to be present in the training camp fan activities area on the respective days:
- Wednesday, July 23: Brian Hoyer
- Thursday, July 24: Rob Ninkovich
- Friday, July 25: Damien Harris
- Saturday, July 26: David Andrews
Autographs: Autograph sessions are planned to take place after each day of practice.
Concessions: The main concession stands will be positioned behind the bleachers. All will operate cashless, but a cash-to-card machine is available as well. Bringing your own food and/or beverages to camp is permitted.
Fan activities: The Patriots will offer various fan activities around the practice area. Participants of physical and interactive activities will not have to fill out any waiver forms beforehand. Signage will be present to make them aware of the team’s terms and conditions.
Visitors with disabilities: As noted above, ADA parking lots can be found in Lot 4 and in Lot 22; there are signs leading there. Seating at the facility will be available in all the bleacher sections, located on the western end of the practice fields. For more information, call 508-384-9191.
Prohibited items: The following is a list of things you better leave in your car if you want to watch the Patriots practice: all animals except service animals assisting those with disabilities (leave them at home, not in your car), alcoholic beverages, beach balls, bullhorns and air horns, coolers, fireworks or pyrotechnics, flag poles and tripods longer than 2 feet (shorter ones will be allowed), helium balloons, illegal drugs or any other illegal substance, laser pens, noise makers, video cameras, weapons of any kind (including knives), unmanned aircraft systems, remotely controlled model aircraft, drones, selfie sticks. Additionally, any other items deemed inappropriate by stadium management are prohibited.
Pet Adoption Day: Three animal shelters will be on-site on the first day of camp, offering the possibility to adopt dogs on July 23.
Tom Brady statue unveiling: Ahead of their preseason opener against Washington on August 8, the Patriots will unveil a 12-foot bronze statue honoring the greatest quarterback in franchise and NFL history. The time for the event has yet to be announced.
Jersey numbers
For a second straight year, the Patriots have already handed out regular jersey numbers to all member on their roster (which means that the days of rookies wearing non-regulation numbers in the 50s and 60s are truly a thing of the past). For every up-to-date jersey number, please visit out our up-to-date Patriots Depth Chart.
The Patriots’ offense will once again wear white jerseys, while the defense will wear blue ones. Quarterbacks and players not to be touched even in full pads — i.e. those recovering from injuries — will be in red.
Injury lists
The Patriots currently have four players on their active/physically unable to perform list (PUP):
- WR Mack Hollins
- TE Austin Hooper
- OT Vederian Lowe
- LB Jahlani Tavai
In addition, three players find themselves on the active/non-football injury or illness list at the moment (NFI):
- WR Jeremiah Webb
- CB Carlton Davis III
- S Josh Minkins
All players on PUP/NFI can be activated off the respective injury lists at any time. If such a move does not happen by final roster cutdowns on August 26, however, the players still remaining on the the active/PUP/NFI lists will transfer to reserve/PUP/NFI; they will no longer count against the 53-man roster and would have to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season.
Position battles
There will be multiple position battles throughout training camp, but the six most intriguing from the current perspective are the following.
Starting center: The Patriots signed veteran Garrett Bradbury to help replace longtime starter David Andrews this offseason, and he spent the offseason as the team’s top center. However, third-round rookie Jared Wilson might just give him a run for his money this summer.
Starting left guard: Former first-round selection Cole Strange moved back to his original position at left guard this offseason, and he sat atop the depth chart throughout the spring. Time will tell whether backups Sidy Sow and Caedan Wallace, 2024 starter Layden Robinson, or somebody else can realistically challenge him.
Wide receiver depth: The Patriots have 12 wide receivers under contract at the moment, but only three of them — Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams — can be considered roster locks heading into camp. The fight for the other spots alongside them projects to be an intense one.
Third tight end: Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are the undisputed top options at the position, but there is a chance the team will keep more than those two on the roster. Four other pure TEs — Jaheim Bell, Jack Westover, C.J. Dippre, Gee Scott Jr. — as well as fullback Brock Lampe will fight to earn complementary roles.
Off-ball linebacker: Robert Spillane has taken over as New England’s new top linebacker, and he will rarely leave the field. Who will get top reps alongside him, however, has yet to be determined. Jahlani Tavai looked like a frontrunner this spring, but he currently finds himself on the PUP list.
Secondary depth: The Patriots appear well-set at the starter level at both cornerback and safety, but the depth spots behind the likes of Christian Gonzalez and company appear wide open. While not featuring the highest-profile names, you can look forward to a competitive summer.
For further information on camp competitions, positional previews and more, please make sure to check out the Pats Pulpit training camp section.
Preseason schedule
Besides training camp, the Patriots will also play three preseason contests in August.
August 8: Preseason Week 1 vs. Washington Commanders (7:30 p.m. ET). After one open joint practice session with the Commanders, the Patriots will face off against them in both teams’ preseason opener. Traditionally, starters are expected to only play a handful of series if that. As noted above, the Tom Brady statue will be unveiled before that game.
August 16: Preseason Week 2 at Minnesota Vikings (7 p.m. ET). The Patriots will travel west for their second week of preseason, first teaming up with the Vikings at practice and later facing off against them in preseason. As opposed to the first and third exhibition contest, this one will likely see the starters around Drake Maye get a heavier workload.
August 21: Preseason Week 3 at New York Giants (8 p.m. ET). The Patriots’ traditional preseason finale versus the Giants is back on the menu. After a one-year hiatus, the two teams will meet again to close out the exhibition schedule in a game that will primarily feature backup players and those firmly on the roster bubble.
August 26: Roster cuts from 90 to 53. As implemented in 2023, there is only one roster cutdown deadline now. Teams need to go from a maximum of 90 players to 53 by August 26 at 4 p.m. ET. Players can be moved off the roster by being waived, traded, or moved to an injury reserve list.
August 27: Practice squad creation/Waiver claims. The first practice squad for the 2025 season can be built the day after the cutdown deadline. The league opted to keep the increased practice squad sizes it originally established during the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning that clubs can send up to 16 players to their developmental rosters. In addition, teams will be busy on the waiver wire to pick up players released from other clubs.
September 8: Regular season Week 1 vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET). The Patriots will open their 2025 as well as the Mike Vrabel era at home. They will host a Raiders team that also brought in a new head coach this offseason, hiring longtime Seattle coach Pete Carroll.
Pats Pulpit
As usual, Pats Pulpit will have you covered throughout training camp and preseason. Make sure to regularly check back to patspulpit.com for all the latest news, rumors and analysis, and to also follow us on Bluesky, Twitter/X and Facebook.
Credentialed Patriots beat writers Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) and Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) will bring you live updates from camp on their Twitter/X feeds, so please make sure to give them a follow.