Mark your calendars, Patriots fans: We now know when football will return to New England.
The Patriots announced their full training schedule on Monday, including the date for their lone joint practice. The early announcement is a departure from what we saw from Bill Belichick, who often withheld scheduling details from both reporters and players until the last minute.
New England Patriots Announce Full Training Camp Schedule
With mandatory minicamp in the rearview mirror, Patriots fans now can count the days until training camp, which will begin on Wednesday, July 24. They also can look forward to a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles, who’ll visit Foxboro, Mass., on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Here’s the full schedule for training camp practices open to reporters and fans:
- Wednesday, July 24
- Thursday, July 25
- Friday, July 26
- Sunday, July 28
- Monday, July 29
- Tuesday, July 30
- Thursday, Aug. 1
- Friday, Aug. 2
- Saturday, Aug. 3
- Monday, Aug. 5
- Tuesday, Aug. 6
- Monday, Aug. 12
- Tuesday, Aug. 13 (Eagles joint practice)
#PatsCamp dates are in!
Full training camp and joint practice schedule: https://t.co/cgR5Tgyw8l pic.twitter.com/rmMWCpdcEr
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 25, 2024
All practices are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET, with gates opening at 10 a.m. ET.
The Eagles joint practice will take place two days before Philadelphia and New England square off in a preseason matchup at Gillette Stadium.
MORE: 7 Lingering Questions as the Patriots Enter Summer Break
Here’s the Patriots’ full preseason slate (all times ET unless indicated otherwise):
- Thursday, Aug. 8 vs. Carolina Panthers (7 p.m.)
- Thursday, Aug. 15 vs. Philadelphia Eagles (7 p.m.)
- Sunday, Aug. 25 at Washington Commanders (8 p.m.)
Following their preseason finale in Washington, D.C., the Patriots will begin final preparations for their Sept. 8 season opener against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
How This Differs From Recent Patriots Training Camp Schedules
Jerod Mayo is switching things up for his training camp as New England’s head coach.
Belichick placed a significant emphasis on joint practices, especially late in his Patriots tenure. And he preferred to conduct multiple sessions while hosting or visiting an opponent.
In 2021, the Patriots hosted the New York Giants and visited the Eagles. In 2022, they hosted the Carolina Panthers and visited the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2023, they visited the Packers and were scheduled to visit the Tennessee Titans, but the latter plans were canceled after Isaiah Bolden suffered a head injury during the preseason game in Green Bay.
It’s worth noting that fights and controversial hits marred multiple Patriots joint practices in recent years, including the 2022 sessions against the Panthers and last year’s practices with the Packers. Whether those incidents influenced Mayo’s decision to cut back on joint practices remains unclear.
Regardless, Mayo’s roster evaluation process will differ from Belichick’s, and the potential importance of the change shouldn’t be overlooked. For example, Mac Jones likely wouldn’t have won the Patriots’ quarterback job in 2021 had he not dominated a joint practice with the Giants while Cam Newton sat out due to COVID-19 protocol violations.
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Could additional joint practices have increased Drake Maye’s opportunities to convince coaches he should play over Jacoby Brissett? We’ll never know.
None of this is to say there’s anything wrong with Mayo’s approach; it’s just different. And it could have major ramifications for the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster.