FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Maye's new mentor: Bob Chesney remembers exactly where he was, and whom he was with, when receiving a phone call recently that brought him to tears.
The second-year James Madison University head coach was in the kitchen of his Virginia home, alongside his longtime assistant Chris Grautski, and this is how the phone conversation unfolded:
"Are you guys ready?"
"For what?" Chesney and Grautski responded.
"Well, you're speaking to the new quarterbacks coach of the New England Patriots."
It was Ashton Grant on the other end of the telephone, and Chesney was overcome with emotion.
Grant broke into coaching in 2019 under Chesney at Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Grant did the grunt work, touring recruits around campus, breaking down film, developing scouting reports and game plans, while helping on special teams and with receivers and running backs. Now, six years later, he'll be among those working closest with Drake Maye, the Patriots' franchise quarterback.
It's an impressive rise for the 29-year-old Grant, whose connection with Chesney formed in 2013 when he was playing for East Coast Prep in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Chesney, then the head coach at Division II Assumption College in Worcester, was scouting a game between East Coast Prep and Bridgton Academy.
A receiver wearing No. 82 dominated, which led Chesney to ask, "Who is this kid?" It was Grant, a Manchester, Connecticut, native who soon visited Assumption's campus with his mother, Jessica Chalk.
"They were in my office, I remember sitting with them, and we talked about our plan and how good I thought he was going to be," Chesney said. "He ended up with us and was an unstoppable force out on the field."
By the time Grant's collegiate career ended at Assumption in 2017, he produced the most receiving yards (3,204) and touchdown catches (36) in school history, helping the Greyhounds to multiple Northeast-10 Conference championships.
The team's success led to Chesney being hired at Holy Cross in 2018, while Grant chased his dream of playing professional football, which included invites to rookie minicamps of the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.
There were ultimately no contract offers, which led to Grant's transition to coaching.
"He's one of those players who transformed a whole culture and our team, so if he wanted to be on our staff, I wanted him on our staff, wherever it was going to be," said Chesney, who has a 120-50 career record at Salve Regina, Assumption, Holy Cross and James Madison that includes seven league championships.
"He had come from those [NFL] minicamps, where a lot of guys wanted to go in the future. For him to be able to talk about the importance of special teams, adding value, never feeling entitled, how there's always someone out there better than you -- he was such a great guy for us to have around. Then [Cleveland Browns head coach] Kevin Stefanski called me about him, and the rest was history."
Stefanski, who had first met Chesney working a football camp at University of Pennsylvania (Stefanski's alma mater), was looking for a young coach to work alongside him as part of the newly formed Bill Willis Coaching Fellowship. The Browns created the fellowship to "provide opportunities for a rising minority coach with a focus on the offensive side of the ball."
Chesney raved about Grant's intelligence, attention to detail, even-keeled demeanor and knack for connecting with players. Grant landed the job for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, then was elevated to offensive quality control coach in 2022 and had an offensive assistant/quarterbacks role in 2023 and 2024.
Patriots first-year head coach Mike Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a Browns assistant alongside Grant, which ultimately paved the way for Grant's return home to New England. Grant is paired with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who will be the leading coaching presence for Maye.
Reflecting on the day Grant called to relay the news, Chesney said: "I was filled with emotion. What an awesome opportunity for him, and I know he's going to make the most of it."
2. Staff size: Vrabel's coaching staff includes 26 assistants, which is down from the 31 Jerod Mayo has in his lone season as coach in 2024.
In Bill Belichick's final season as head coach in 2023, his staff included 20 assistants, which reflected his preference for employing the NFL's smallest staff, in part so messages didn't get mixed.
"The goal in filling out the 2025 Patriots coaching staff was to identify loyal, trustworthy coaches who are diverse in background, ideas, experiences and systems," Vrabel said in a statement.
"We will be aligned in our vision to teach and develop our players with creativity, consistency and an attention to detail with the major goal of developing relationships that stretch beyond the field and meeting rooms," he said.
The Patriots announced Mike Vrabel's coaching staff.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 5, 2025
Among the holdovers not previously reported: Deron Mayo (strength & conditioning), Brian McDonough (assistant strength & conditioning), Robert Kugler (assistant OL), Vinny DePalma (defensive assistant). pic.twitter.com/yDW4oLYn9B
Perhaps the biggest surprise was Vrabel's decision to retain Deron Mayo, the younger brother of Jerod Mayo, as strength and conditioning coach. Mayo was one of seven holdovers from the previous regime, reflecting Vrabel's open-minded hiring approach.
Unlike last season when Deron Mayo led the strength and conditioning program, he'll now be working under director of sports performance Frank Piraino.
3. Alums welcome: Former Patriots greats Matthew Slater, Dont'a Hightower and Troy Brown weren't retained on staff. Slater and Hightower initially came aboard due to their personal ties to Jerod Mayo, and it's unclear whether they still want to coach.
Nonetheless, Vrabel has told those in the organization he wants to make sure all former players are welcomed back in the building. After all, he's one of them.
4. McAdoo follow-up: Vrabel's positive experience in Cleveland last season -- working with the offense despite his primary background coming on defense -- helped shape plans for Ben McAdoo's role as a senior defensive assistant. McAdoo's primary background has come on offense, so in a sense, it's the reverse of what Vrabel did last year; among other things, McAdoo will be studying opposing offenses and providing his perspective to the defensive staff.
McAdoo and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams had a brief connection at the University of Akron in 2004, when McAdoo initially accepted a job on staff (alongside Williams) before resigning to accept his first NFL job with the Saints.
5. Superdome memories: The shiny ring ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi wore during his media appearances leading up to Super Bowl LIX was a reminder of how the Superdome in Louisiana -- host of this year's Chiefs-Eagles matchup -- holds a special place in Patriots history.
It was the site of the team's first Super Bowl championship (XXXVI), the 20-17 upset of the Rams in a game New England entered as a 14-point underdog. They celebrated with U2's "Beautiful Day" blaring through the dome. Bruschi could have picked three different rings, but his choice of No. 1 was fitting given the location.
Vrabel, of course, was on that team and said in January of the six Super Bowl banners in the Patriots' home stadium: "They're not going to help us win, but it's a great reminder of what it takes to win and the type of people you have to have in the organization."
6. Vinatieri and Hall: It was a surprise to some that former Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri wasn't elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Vinatieri did make it to the final seven candidates, which automatically qualifies him as a finalist for 2026.
"Everyone knows Vinatieri is the best clutch kicker in history and was worthy of election in his first year of eligibility. I have no idea why he didn't make it because everything said about him was positive, as it should have been and will continue to be," Hall of Fame voter John McClain told ESPN.
"The Hall changed the bylaws this year to make the classes more exclusive. Candidates had to receive 80% of the votes, which means 39 of us could have voted for somebody but he still didn't make it. We elected four, fewest since 2005."
He continued, "I strongly believe Vinatieri will be elected to the Hall of Fame, but the competition is just so tough. So many worthy candidates. I'd tell Vinatieri what I tell other candidates, fans and media: 'Just be patient. Your time will come.' Hopefully, his will be sooner rather than later."
7. International plans: As part of its international games for 2025, the NFL has announced three games in London (New York Jets, Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars as home teams), as well as games in Berlin (Indianapolis Colts as home team), Madrid (Miami Dolphins as home team) and Dublin, Ireland (Pittsburgh Steelers as home team).
The NFL can schedule up to eight league-operated regular-season games internationally this year (the Jaguars' game is operated by the club itself as part of their prior multi-year commitment).
Based on pre-determined opponents, the Patriots have two chances to play internationally -- vs. the Jets in London or the Dolphins in Madrid. The schedule will be released in May.
8. BC-Patriots OL pipeline: Second-year Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien, the two-time former Patriots assistant, raved about New England offensive line coach Doug Marrone on his podcast. Marrone was on O'Brien's BC staff in 2024 and the two have a longtime friendship.
"[Marrone's] very technical, very knowledgeable. He'll understand that system. He worked for Sean Payton in a similar type of system. He does a great job developing players; he's a hard-nosed guy."
When considering O'Brien's close ties to Vrabel (who was an assistant on O'Brien's Texans staff), it sets up a neighborhood dynamic in which both teams -- located just 20 miles apart -- could help each other.
The Patriots, who early in their dynasty years tapped BC for top linemen such as Damien Woody and Dan Koppen, badly need to reinforce their OL after ranking last in the NFL in pass block win rate each of the past two seasons.
And BC, which once was known as a top destination for offensive linemen with pro hopes, can tout its Patriots connections.
9. Did You Know, Part I: Maye averaged 7.8 yards per rush as a rookie, which ranked as the sixth-highest total for a quarterback in NFL history (minimum 50 rushing attempts). Maye (54 rushes, 421 yards) trailed only Mike Vick (8.45), Randall Cunningham (8.18 and 7.98), Mike Pagel (8.17), Bobby Douglass (8.0).
10. Did You Know, Part II: The Chiefs joined the Patriots as one of five teams this season to have four different starters at left tackle. If the Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, they would become the first team since the 1996 Packers to win the Super Bowl and start four different left tackles, according to Elias Sports Bureau.