New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the media on January 2, 2026, providing updates ahead of the team’s final regular season game and discussing various aspects of team management and player performance.
Vrabel confirmed that several players would not be available for the upcoming game. “Robert Spillane will be out, Harold Landry III will be out, Khyiris Tonga will be out, Jared Wilson will be out, Jack Westover will be questionable,” he said.
When asked about potentially activating Milton Williams or Will Campbell for Sunday’s game, Vrabel responded: “Yeah, we’ll see how they respond from today’s work. Tried to get them a full week of work in, but I think it looks good. Both of them were able to work the whole week and we’ll see where we’re at tomorrow.”
Discussing Robert Spillane’s limited participation in practice despite his injury status, Vrabel stated: “Yeah, I think, again, when you go through an injury and you’re away from the team, guys that care a lot about the team want to be out there. So, just trying to get the return to play, and felt good enough to get out there and do a little bit of work in a limited fashion. So, I think that was positive and excited that he’s feeling better.”
Vrabel spoke about his approach with rookie quarterback Drake Maye during the offseason: “Everybody in their own way, especially quarterbacks and head coaches, have to find a way to reach the team or represent the organization. There’s a lot of different ways that Drake can do it. We focused on making connections and getting to know people. You have to say things that get people’s attention… It’s just about getting a feel for each person that you’re trying to get a message across to or try to be able to connect with to help them do their job better.”
On managing player focus amid recent events—including clinching their division title and off-field incidents—Vrabel explained his method for keeping players engaged: “Part of my job is to have a message and to clearly define what the objective is for the day… Try to stay as consistent as possible.”
Asked about his message going into the last regular season game before playoffs begin next week, Vrabel reiterated: “I think it would be the same one I told you that it was on Wednesday. We’re going to practice to improve and we’re going to try to finish what we started. I didn’t change from Wednesday to Friday.”
Regarding opposing quarterback Quinn Ewers’ recent performances observed by staff member Zak Kuhr at Tampa Bay’s game, Vrabel noted Ewers’ energy: “I saw an energy at that Tampa Bay game… He seems to have good command of the operation… There’s a lot of moving parts with that offense…”
Addressing defensive strategies against motion offenses and matching top cornerbacks against top receivers—a tactic less common now—Vrabel commented on evolving offensive schemes: “It’s just the offenses have changed so much… They will move players around… Offenses have gotten really good of how they motion…”
With all 11 rookies from this year’s draft class active on New England’s roster—a reflection of organizational priorities—Vrabel described balancing drafting with free agency: “I think we all understand how important the draft is… Starters, role players, depth… And then there’s answers in free agency too…”
On Alex Austin’s return from injury this week at practice: “Again, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. I think it was good to see him have a week of work…”
When asked if staff are preparing for potential playoff opponents already despite not knowing who they’ll face next week due in part because NFL playoff seeding depends on multiple outcomes rather than being predetermined by standings alone (https://www.nfl.com/standings/), Vrabel said preparations are ongoing but avoided speculation: “We don’t have any idea. You can look at percentages. I’m confident that we’ll be ready for whoever we play…”
The press conference concluded with questions about possibly playing Foxborough High School next preseason (“Anything that we can do to support Foxborough High School football team… Maybe next year we can tie in a scrimmage before our stadium scrimmage or we’ll come up with something creative”) and New Year’s resolutions (“Just win as many games as we possibly can”).
