Patriots Set for Joint Practices With Vikings and Commanders — Drake Maye to Face Off With Top Draft Rivals

The New England Patriots have always enjoyed the opportunity to participate in joint practices with other NFL teams during training camp.

Not only have the sessions provided invaluable learning opportunities to gain insight on alternate strategies, but they also allow the team to scout potential free agent targets in a more hands-on manner.

It should come as no surprise that the Pats are once again planning to engage in joint practices as an invaluable part of preparing their players for the upcoming season.

The Pats, per a report first shared The Boston Globe’s Christopher Price, will share the practice fields with the Minnesota Vikings prior to their preseason meeting on Aug. 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The initial plans call for two practice sessions to be held at the Vikings’ TCO Performance Center in Eagan, MN in the days leading up to the game.

Collaboration between the Patriots and the Vikings had been widely speculated in recent weeks. In fact, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel raised the possibility of joint practices with Minnesota when speaking with reporters at the NFL annual meetings in March.

“We’d love to go to Minnesota,” Vrabel said. “We practiced with them a few years ago in Tennessee. It’s a nice setup. They have a beautiful facility, there’s a hotel close by to walk to the field, and we enjoyed working with Kevin [O’Connell] and B-Flo [Brian Flores] and their team.”

In addition to practicing against one of the NFL’s most well-coached teams, New England will get its first look at Minnesota’s second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The former Michigan Wolverine — who was chosen tenth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, just seven choices after New England’s selection of Drake Maye at number three — missed his rookie season with a meniscus tear in his right knee. McCarthy suffered the injury in Minnesota’s lone preseason appearance against the Las Vegas Raiders, in which he completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Vrabel, on Tuesday, also confirmed hosting joint practices in Foxborough with the Washington Commanders. The teams are scheduled to face off in the preseason opener at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 8. As is the case with McCarthy and the Vikings, Maye will have the chance to match wits with his fellow top-five draftee Jayden Daniels — who was selected by Washington with the second overall pick in last season’s draft. Daniels is entering his second campaign fresh off one of the most impressive rookie performances in recent memory. The LSU product set the rookie quarterback record for rushing yards in a season [891] and leading the Commanders to their first NFC Championship game appearance since 1991. Washington is also the new home of ex-Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise, Jr and cornerback Jonathan Jones — who left New England via free agency in March.

New England will continue to conduct OTAs on their home practice fields through early June. They will close out their preseason schedule against the New York Giants on Aug. 21 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The preseason finale is not currently expected to be accompanied by any joint practices.