New England Patriots Coach Jerod Mayo Explains Offseason Workout Program Start Date

The New England Patriots offseason workout program is set to officially commence on April 8.

Aug 29, 2019; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach, then linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

FOXBORO — The new era for the New England Patriots is about to get underway at Gillette Stadium. 

With the NFL having officially announced the offseason workout schedules for all 32 teams on Friday, New England’s start date has now been confirmed as April 8. 

Despite having the option to begin their program on April 2 — due to hiring a new head coach [Jerod Mayo] in the offseason — the Pats chose to delay their first day so that the several new faces on their coaching staff are congruous in both message and approach to the upcoming season. 

“Look, there’s still going to be time to put this thing together. As the staff continues to jell not only on the coaching side but also on the scouting side, as the team continues to gel, I just want to make sure that we as coaches are all on the same page before we get with the players,” Mayo said this week. “We’ve been a part of situations where you bring different coaches in and this guy has one philosophy, this guy has another philosophy. I just wanted to make sure that the coaches, the staff, we’re all on the same page going forward.”

Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots head coach, then linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Though the Pats will enter 2024 with a new head coach for the first time in nearly a quarter-century, they opted to start on April 8, along with the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans — all of which also hired new head coaches. The Los Angeles Chargers, Washintgon Commanders and Atlanta Falcons will start on Tuesday. 

While Mayo realizes the value of time spent together as a team, he also understands that the coaching staff needs to be operating in a united and cohesive manner to prevent mixed messages from being sent to the players. 

“Once again, you don’t win games in the spring, but you can lose them,” Mayo cautioned. “I don’t want to fall into that trap. I want to make sure that we’re all pulling in the same direction.”

In addition to the start of offseason workouts, the Patriots’ schedule for voluntary minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp have also been confirmed. 

Patriots Offseason Workout Schedule:

First Day: April 8

Voluntary Minicamp: April 23-24

OTAs: May 20-21, May 23, May 29-31, June 3-4, June 6-7

Mandatory Minicamp: June 11-13

What to Expect During Each Phase:

Voluntary offseason workout programs are intended to provide training, teaching and physical conditioning for players. Per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the voluntary nine-week offseason program is conducted in three phases:

The first phase of the program consists of activities including meetings, strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation. These activities take place over the course of a two-week period.

As a result of Mayo’s hiring, New England is entitled to conduct an additional voluntary veteran minicamp. Per NFL regulations, this minicamp (intended for veteran players) must be conducted prior to the NFL Draft (April 25-27), but no earlier than week three of the club’s offseason workout program and after at least one week of the two weeks of Phase One activities. 

During the second phase, teams are able to increase their activities to on-field workouts. For the Patriots, the workouts will take place in Foxboro over three weeks. They may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk through pace. No live contact or team offense versus team defense drills are permitted during this time, 

The third phase takes place over the final four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, otherwise known as OTAs. At this time, 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are permitted without live contact.

Full-pads practices and contact drills will arrive when the Patriots regroup for training camp in late July.