‘It’s Football Season!’ Belichick as Lawrence Guy Reports to Camp

New England Patriots defensive tackle has reported for 2023 training camp. Will he be taking the field with a new contract?

FOXBORO — For the New England Patriots, life without starting defensive tackle Lawrence Guy for the upcoming season seemed at best a remote possibility.

However, its chances dramatically increased at the outset of mandatory minicamp, when the veteran defensive tackle became conspicuous by his absence. While the team did not confirm the reason for Guy’s non-appearance, it has been widely reported that he was holding out of minicamp in hopes of landing a new contract. 

Guy ended his holdout, at least from an attendance standpoint, ended on Tuesday when he reported for training camp, along with the rest of the Pats veterans. 

In fact, it appears Guy did so to the satisfaction of coach Bill Belichick. 

"Yeah, I hope so. It's football season. Most football players play football in football season," Belichick said when asked if the issues keeping Guy from the field had been resolved. 

The Arizona State product currently has two years remaining on his current four-year, $11.5 million extension which he signed with the club in 2021.He is set to make $2 million, with a $3.6 million cap hit in 2023.

Whether he and the Patriots have agreed to increase those amounts, via extension or restructuring, has yet to be disclosed. 

Meanwhile, the Patriots longest-tenured defensive player is now back in the Foxboro fold. Guy has appeared in a combined 101 regular season and playoff games for New England. Despite missing three games with a shoulder injury in 2022, the 33-year-old logged 46 total tackles (three for loss,) two sacks and five quarterback hits. He has also been a valuable presence both on and off the field. Guy was voted to Patriots 2010s All-Decade Team and was named a team captain in 2020. He won the Ron Burton Community Service Award in 2021 and was the Patriots nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2022.

Guy, along with the remainder of his Patriots teammates will hit the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium for their first team session of training camp at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. 

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