That is what happens for a team that makes the Super Bowl in head coach Mike Vrabel's first season with the position and quarterback Drake Maye's second season in the league. And now the duo knows the schedule they will face with expectations dialed up after coming one win short of championship glory last season.

Releasing Stefon Diggs, who finished with 1,013 yards and four touchdowns with the Super-Bowl-bound Patriots last year, virtually guaranteed that the franchise would pursue a standout wide receiver on the trade or free agent market.

The Patriots’ 2026 NFL schedule includes brutal stretches with games against the Chiefs, Bills and Lions plus multiple primetime games.

Former University of Hawaiʻi captain and defensive back Peter Manuma earned a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots after participating in the team’s rookie minicamp tryout last week. The University of Hawaiʻi standout and James Campbell High School graduate totaled 281 tackles and five interceptions during a four-year career with the Rainbow Warriors.

The NFL has released its full schedule for the 2025 season. Football fans everywhere will now pore over it, assessing how their favorite teams may do and circling marquee matchups. It will also allow NFL fans and analysts alike to identify which teams have the most and least favorable schedules.