“I think we all know that every year’s a new year in this league, and that’s kind of how it goes,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “The leadership has to grow. Whether it’s a captain — we talked about not having any restrictions on leadership — and hopefully at whatever level we have guys that can lead. We’ll have captains and then hopefully we’ll have a lot more leaders, as well.”
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Last year’s captains all ended up retiring, getting injured, or leaving as free agents. Henry was a replacement for David Andrews, who retired. Jabrill Peppers was released late last month after an eventful year that included an ugly off-field incident. And Joe Cardona, Deatrich Wise, Jonathan Jones, and Jacoby Brissett signed elsewhere for 2025.
Vrabel was asked about the pivot away from many of the foundational leaders who helped guide the Patriots the last couple of seasons.
“Some of those players were free agents,” he explained. “Some of them were currently on the roster. So, I don’t think that’s ever been a conscious decision. I think we’re just trying to evaluate the roster and provide the pieces that we feel like we need right now.”
The captains were informed at the start of Monday’s practice, and the most notable is likely Maye. The 23-year-old quarterback, heading into his second year, already has asserted himself in several ways over the offseason. From organizing offensive workouts to leading conditional drills at the end of spring practice, it’s clear Vrabel has been putting Maye in more leadership positions.
“The expectation is that he’s leading this football team,” Vrabel said of Maye earlier this summer. “That’s what the job of the head coach and the quarterback is. That’s pretty much how this thing goes.
“And that he can’t take days off,” Vrabel added. “I mean, sometimes the performance isn’t going to be extraordinary. But the leadership and the demeanor has to be. And I think he’s learning that. I love the fact that he’s willing to learn and push and try to do those things to where he’s demanding of everybody and making sure that everybody’s on the same page.”
Earlier this summer, Maye was asked if he wanted to be a captain, and if that title meant something to him.
“I think it’s a great honor,” he said. “I think it’s something that you don’t take lightly around here, especially with those Patriot teams in the past, with the captains they had. It’s an aspiration to be a captain. But there’s a lot of guys on this team that deserve that, and they’ve played a long time in this league.”
Schooler, who campaigned for a captain’s role this summer, said he took plenty of leadership tips from former special teams captains Cardona and Matthew Slater to help prepare.
“To be named captain from those guys, it means a lot,” Schooler said. “I think you know I’ve worked really hard to get to this point to earn the respect from these guys on the team, and so to have them have enough faith in me and trust in me to be the leader of the special teams unit, it means a lot to me.
“It’s just not on the field, it’s off the field. It’s in the meeting rooms, it’s in the weight room. I don’t think that ‘C’ ever comes off your chest, especially when you know your peers give that to you.”
Spillane and Landry are clear Vrabel favorites, defensive players who have been with the coach previously, and have managed to make an impact as leaders early in New England.
“It’s one of the greatest honors of my life,” Spillane said. “I pour so much time and passion into what I do as a football player, and to be recognized by the people that see you do it every day is an absolute honor.”
“I think it starts with consistency,” said Landry. “Who you are as a person, as a player, as a teammate, showing up every single day, being the same guy.
“So I think it starts with that, and then just encouraging guys, trying to be positive, trying to lift up any way I can.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.