Connect with us

Boston, MA

Patriots mailbag: Is Justin Fields an option at quarterback?

Published

2 years ago

on

Patriots mailbag: Is Justin Fields an option at quarterback?


The NFL offseason is moving quickly, and under new leadership, the Patriots will need to make a decision at quarterback soon.

The NFL scouting combine is a week away, and in three weeks, the Patriots will be allowed to speak to impending free agents. The team must have a plan on how they’ll approach their biggest need at quarterback and whether they plan to add that player via free agency, a trade or the draft, before the new NFL year begins on March 13.

Let’s dive into some potential options in this week’s mailbag.

@ZackFitzNFL
Are the Patriots around in the Justin Fields talks?

I’ve been told not to rule out anything at quarterback. If the Patriots would rather take an offensive lineman, wide receiver or a player at another position at No. 3 overall (or trade down), then making a deal with the Bears for Justin Fields seemingly would be an option.

Advertisement

That being said, Fields’ team needs to decide on his fifth-year option this offseason. He’s proven he can be a starter, but he’s in the lower tier among NFL quarterbacks. The Patriots need someone better than that to compete now and in the future. It seems to make more sense to swing for the fences and take Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.

An acquiring team would take on $3.2 million by trading for Fields, so he is a bargain. He ranked 23rd among 32 quarterbacks with a -0.009 expected points added (EPA) per play. He was 21st in PFF grade, 23rd in PFF passing grade and 23rd in QBR.

Fields experienced his best season in 2023, but he’s been in the NFL for three seasons now. How much more will or can he improve?

If Fields is the option, then the Patriots would need to decide between a wide receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. or an offensive tackle like Joe Alt at No. 3 overall. They need both, but that’s not really an option.

@Deeep_Blue
How active are patriots going to be in the free agent market? Top targets?

They pretty much have to be active in free agency. Not to get too into the nitty gritty, but the Patriots need to spend 90% of the salary cap in cash over the next three seasons. They’re only set to spend $216.2 million in cash over that span. The 2024 salary cap is projected to be $240 million. Even if the cap didn’t rise in 2025 and 2026 (it will), the Patriots are only set to spend 30% of the cap in cash from 2024 to 2026.

Advertisement

So, they need to spend a lot of money over the next three offseasons, and they need better talent.

I’d start with trying to bring back safety Kyle Dugger and offensive lineman Mike Onwenu. From there, I’d try to add a top-flight wide receiver.

@KleaverBlock
Watching the impact that having a 1-2 combo (Mahomes/Kelce) can have, what’s the QB/Receiver combo you’d like after the offseason?

Williams and free-agent wide receiver Tee Higgins.

But Williams seems destined to go in the top two picks, and there’s no guarantee that Higgins will make it to free agency.

Maye and someone like Mike Evans would be more realistic and would still help.

Advertisement

@DomDoesNFL
Do we see a Gilly Lock reunion this offseason?

That depends on what Stephon Gilmore is looking for this offseason. If he wants to win, then New England isn’t the best place to do it. If he wants to earn top dollar, then maybe the Patriots would be a good destination.

@PatsSTH1969
Thoughts on the New Pats ponying up market value + Cash for Baker and taking the draft haul that will come after the Drake Maye and Jaylen Daniels Pro Days? If no Baker take 1 of the 2?

It makes the most sense for Baker Mayfield to return to the Buccaneers.

@boston_fan73
Welcome back, Doug. There has been some talk of the Pats trading down & drafting an OT or WR. If they don’t draft a QB at 3.

What draft classes are deeper for QB, WR, and OL, this year’s class, or next year’s?

Could this push them to take a QB at 3 regardless of player?

It’s too early to assess next year’s draft, but this year’s class has three quarterbacks, three wide receivers and three offensive tackles listed in the top 15 of The Athletic’s draft prospects. It’s tough to do better than that.

All three positions are pretty deep in this year’s class, as well.

@llsoxfans
No question, just hoping you’re doing okay given the circumstances. Good to see you on the Twittersphere. My thoughts remain with your family. I appreciate you!

Thank you. Very much appreciated.

Advertisement

@GoldEP_
Non patriot question will you be watching the ufl

I’ll be monitoring it. Not sure how much I’ll actually be watching, however.

@RickLawsonEP
Do the o-linemen we currently have n the roster fit the new offensive scheme? Based on the new scheme would you keep Onwenu?

The team is still working through whether the coaching changes alter what they look for in offensive linemen. I would still keep Onwenu. You can find a fit for him at guard or tackle.

@Curmudgeon_Mike
With Pats looking at 2-3 years before being relevant should they trade Judon? The “D” wasn’t terrible without him. And they could use more draft capital for the rebuild!
#MailDoug

I’ve mentioned this before, but something will need to be done with Matthew Judon this offseason. The Patriots borrowed from his 2024 salary to give him a raise last offseason. So, they either need to give him a real raise this offseason, an extension or move on from him.

Judon is a team leader, and the Patriots have money to spend. The best option would be to try to make something work to keep him.



Source link

Advertisement
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Boston, MA

How I met a lifelong friend when I moved to Boston for a new job – The Boston Globe

Published

3 hours ago

on

January 30, 2026

By

How I met a lifelong friend when I moved to Boston for a new job – The Boston Globe


Opportunity drew me to Boston in 1977. I took a job at an architectural firm in the North End and moved to an apartment in Inman Square in Cambridge. It was such a great place to live — Legal Sea Foods, Ryles, the Inn-Square Men’s Bar, and the S&S Deli were all within a block of my front door. But there was one big problem: I didn’t know a soul in the area and really wanted to make friends outside of work.

Could spending some time at local watering holes be the answer? I decided to take my chances.

One evening I was perched on a barstool at the newly opened Springfield Street Saloon across the street. It was pretty much empty except for another guy sitting several stools away staring at the TV. Both of us were groaning in pain at some pathetic play by the Red Sox and started to chat from a distance. I slid over and introduced myself — or it could have been the other way around, I don’t remember. But most importantly, I met Jeff.

The next night we were both there again. And the next. We became good friends over the course of the summer and best friends not long after that. Jeff was the avid sportsman that I could never become. He took me tuna fishing off Gloucester, and to a sportsman’s club for lessons in marksmanship.

Advertisement

He was a classic extrovert and optimist who was working as a fledgling music promoter. I was a classic introvert hopelessly tied to a desk, quietly sketching designs. But somehow our sense of humor, outlook on life, and respect for each other cemented our friendship. I never expected to meet someone in such a random way and become such close friends. I joined him at Sox games, Pats games — we even went to the Police and J. Geils concerts at the Garden with backstage passes.

The Blizzard of 1978 didn’t put a damper on the fun at Jeff’s apartment. The weeklong Blizzard Party at his place could not be rivaled. He called me one night at 4 a.m., asking if I had any aspirin because Sting, lead singer of the Police, was at his apartment with a headache!

Jeff even found me a new apartment in his building near Harvard Square. He never wanted anything in return, just my company. And I was always there for him.

Over the years, our lives changed quite a bit. We both moved to different towns with our fiancées. Jeff came to my wedding, and after my daughters were born, he became a favorite of theirs as they grew up. He joked with my wife that she could have done much better than me.

From that chance barstool meeting, I talked with my best friend almost every day for over 40 years. Whenever our wives heard us howling on the phone, they knew immediately who was on the line.

Advertisement

A few years ago, Jeff fell ill, and was in the hospital. I sensed this was quite serious and went to visit him against his wishes. He didn’t want me to see him in his declining condition. “Do you remember when . . . ?” was the topic that day. I had to tone down my usual rants, because it hurt him so much when he laughed.

Later, I said goodbye and left the room. As I turned down the corridor, I heard Jeff call out, “I love you, man.” I was going to turn around and go back into the room but didn’t want him to see me crying. That seemed pretty dumb then, and still does. A few weeks later, I got a call from his wife, Joanne, telling me he had passed away.

Five years later, Jeff is still on my speed dial, and I cannot tell you the number of times I have almost called him for his take on the day’s events. Because you just never know.

Mark Bernstein is a writer in Newton Centre. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.

TELL YOUR STORY. Email your 650-word unpublished essay on a relationship to connections@globe.com. Please note: We do not respond to submissions we won’t pursue, and we do not accept essays written with the help of artificial intelligence.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

MBTA riders

Published

15 hours ago

on

January 30, 2026

By

MBTA riders



By
Advertisement

Brandon Truitt is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV.

Read Full Bio

Advertisement


/ CBS Boston

This week’s bitterly cold temperatures have served as a stress test for infrastructure in Massachusetts. The MBTA said its crews were working tirelessly and around the clock to keep trains in service.

Advertisement

Single digit temperatures, with the wind chill dropping below zero, have made for a tough commute following last weekend’s storm. 

Delays on Red Line

All lines of the T experienced delays but riders on the Red Line seemed to experience some of the worst of it. “A lot of people were stressed out,” said Red Line rider Natalia Bauermeister. “Everyone wanted to get on the same train to get home fast. People were just like shoving each other and trying to get on the train.” 

Videos posted to social media showed platforms packed with riders lined up five deep waiting for a train. Others complained of trains in “standby” mode at stations with their doors open in subzero temperatures. Many commuters experienced wait times of more than 30 minutes. 

It took Brandon Ellis nearly two hours to get from Brookline to Dorchester. He said he ran into trouble at Park Street when he transferred from the Green to the Red Line. 

“I do have a lot of patience, but the MBTA is known to break my patience,” said Ellis. “It was completely full. There were hundreds of people. They made us get off at Andrew then the next train was completely packed. Nobody could get on it.” 

Advertisement

Older MBTA fleet struggling

The MBTA said the delays were the result of brutally cold temperatures impacting the track and trains. On the Red Line, most issues were with the older fleet struggling to run in this weather.

A spokesperson for the MBTA said the six newer trains on the Red Line were performing as expected, and if it were to only run those six trains and remove the older fleet, wait times would soar to more than 45 minutes on the line. 

The MBTA said it has crews working around the clock to perform maintenance on trains and the tracks as needed. Those crews are working in these frigid temperatures.

“We appreciate our riders’ patience during any of the delays they may have experienced,” the MBTA said. 

Advertisement

In:



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins: Odds, Spread, and Total

Published

1 day ago

on

January 29, 2026

By

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins: Odds, Spread, and Total


The Philadelphia Flyers will attempt to improve their 24-19-9 record and the prevailing mood among their fans when paying a visit to the Boston Bruins for Thursday’s faceoff at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Philadelphia has only won two of its last 11 games, as fatigue strikes a lineup that was already losing steam. Thursday’s game will be the Flyers’ third in four nights after a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday and 5-3 defeat in Columbus that spoiled Travis Konecny’s hat trick on Wednesday. Philadelphia went from scoring 11 times in two games to mustering just 21 shots against the Isles, followed by the Columbus letdown as the fading Flyers try not to plunge out of the Metropolitan Division’s top four.

Boston is in no such slump, having claimed an amazing 19 points from the last 11 Spokes dates. But with some irony, the Bruins can’t quite break into the top four in their Atlantic Division, still trying to fend off the defending champion Florida Panthers in the standings just below them. The Bruins have improved their record to 31-20-3 without making much headway in the race, making both clubs anxious in Boston.

  • Flyers +1.5 (-178)
  • Bruins -1.5 (+150)
  • Over 6.5 (+104)
  • Under 6.5 (-113)

Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 29, 2026, and may have changed since writing. 

  • Totals have gone under in three of the last four meetings.
  • Boston has gone a perfect 7-0 on home ice in 2026. 
  • The Flyers are 2-7-2 in their previous 11 games. 

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins Injury Reports 

  • Centerman Rodrigo Abols is on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
  • Defenseman Ryan Ellis is out for the season with a back injury.
  • Winger Tyson Foerster is out for the season with an arm injury.
  • Goaltender Dan Vladar is probable with a lower-body injury.
  • Centerman Elias Lindholm is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
  • Defenseman Jordan Harris is questionable with an ankle injury.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins Predictions and Picks 

It’s curious that the Flyers and Bruins had a total of six encounters in 2024 without meeting once in the calendar year of 2025. Bruins’ odds to win are boosted by this January’s home games going a perfect 7-0 for Boston, just as Philly deals with Trevor Zegras’ zero goals in the previous five games. Coach Rich Tocchet is criticizing Zegras for a lack of “pace,” as told by Joe DeMarini of Broad Street Buzz.

Boston’s star forward David Pastrnak is skating with plenty of pace, currently sixth in the league with 69 points in 49 games played. But even when Pasta is cooking, it’s the sniping ability of 27-year-old Morgan Geekie that is stirring the drinks at TD Garden. Geekie, on a career pace with 30 goals this season, has scored in three straight games for the Bruins, netting two assists in Boston’s prior 4-3 win over Vegas.

Advertisement

The Flyers’ power play ranks 30th in the NHL, a sign that not even a rash of Bruins penalties could save the Flyers’ effort in Boston. Tocchet has become frustrated enough to pull the ailing Dan Vladar or another goalie too early with a one-goal deficit, making Boston into a more potent puck-line bet.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending