2021 New England Patriots season
The 2021 season will be the New England Patriots' upcoming 52nd season in the National Football League, their 62nd overall, their 20th playing home games at Gillette Stadium and their 22nd under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots will attempt to improve on their 7-9 record from last year, return to the playoffs, and win their first division title without Tom Brady since 1997.
| 2021 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Home field | Gillette Stadium |
| Uniform | |
 | |
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | |||
| 2 | 46 | |||
| 4 | TBD | |||
| 5 | TBD | |||
| 6 | TBD | |||
| TBD | ||||
| TBD | ||||
| 7 | TBD |
Notes
- Exact numbers of the selections from rounds 3–7 will be determined when compensatory selections are awarded at the NFL's annual spring owners' meetings.
- The Patriots forfeited their third-round selection as the punishment for illegal filming of the field and sidelines by the team's television crew of a 2019 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.[1]
- The Patriots acquired two additional sixth-round selections by trade—one that sent defensive end Michael Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys,[2] the other that sent wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the New York Jets.[3]
Staff
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Current roster
Preseason
The Patriots' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring.
Regular season
2021 opponents
Listed below are the Patriots' opponents for 2021. The length of the season is contingent on whether the league expands the regular season from 16 to 17 games. If this happens, a 17th game would match the Patriots against a interconference opponent from one of the three divisions from the NFC that the Patriots are not scheduled to play in 2021, which will be based on division placement from 2020.[4]
Exact dates and times will be announced in the spring.
| Category | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Division opponents (AFC East) | Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New York Jets | |
| Conference opponents (AFC South) | Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans | Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts |
| Conference opponents (based on 2020 division placement) | Cleveland Browns | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Interconference opponents (NFC South) | New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers |
References
- Reiss, Mike (June 28, 2020). "New England Patriots fined $1.1 million, lose draft pick in film crew fallout". ESPN. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- "Sources: Patriots Trade DE Michael Bennett to Cowboys". ESPN.com. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- "Patriots trade WR Demaryius Thomas to Jets". NFL.com. September 10, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- Florio, Mike (February 16, 2020). "17th game will give each team a fifth interconference matchup". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.