The Patriots have six captains for the 2026 season: quarterback Drake Maye, tight end Hunter Henry, offensive tackle Morgan Moses, linebacker Robert Spillane, cornerback Marcus Jones and safety Kevin Byard. Mike Vrabel announced the group before practice on Tuesday, September 1, and as he does every year, the players picked them by vote.
| Player | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Drake Maye | Quarterback | Returning captain |
| Hunter Henry | Tight end | Returning captain |
| Robert Spillane | Linebacker | Returning captain |
| Marcus Jones | Cornerback and punt returner | Returning captain |
| Morgan Moses | Offensive tackle | New. First time in his NFL career |
| Kevin Byard | Safety | New to New England |
The Two New Captains
Morgan Moses is a first time captain in his NFL career, which is a little surprising given how long he has been around and how clearly he carried himself like one last season. He was a gameday captain twice in 2024, in Week 2 at Miami and again in the AFC Divisional round against Houston. Now he has the patch full time at age 35.
Kevin Byard is the opposite case. He has been a captain somewhere every year since 2019. Five straight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where Vrabel was his head coach, and two more with the Chicago Bears in 2024 and 2025. He signed with New England as a free agent this spring and stepped straight into the same role.
Who Lost the Patch
Moses and Byard took the spots held last season by edge rusher Harold Landry III and special teamer Brenden Schooler. Neither loss was about performance. Landry opens the season on the physically unable to perform list and Schooler is on the non-football injury list, so neither is available for Week 1.
The Name Everyone Noticed Was Missing
Christian Gonzalez is not on the list, and that became the story within hours of the announcement. Gonzalez is arguably the best player on the defense, and Vrabel spent part of the offseason publicly challenging him to grow into a leadership role. At the time of the vote he was also in the middle of a long and visibly frustrating contract negotiation, which was the backdrop to everything.
That part is now settled. On Tuesday, September 8, the day before the opener, the Patriots signed Gonzalez to a four year, $135 million extension with $102 million guaranteed, making him the highest paid cornerback in NFL history and the highest paid player the franchise has ever had. Whether the captaincy follows next season is a fair thing to watch.
None of that is necessarily a slight. Captaincy here is a locker room vote, not a coaching decision, and Vrabel has been consistent that he leaves it to the players. But it is a storyline worth tracking through the fall.
How the Patriots Pick Captains
Vrabel puts it to a player vote and announces the result at a team meeting before practice. New England has also used gameday captains on top of the season long group, which lets the team recognize someone for a specific week. In 2025 that produced a seventh name when K’Lavon Chaisson was made a game captain for the opener against his former team.
For reference, the 2025 captains were Maye, Henry, Landry, Spillane, Schooler and Marcus Jones. Maye, Schooler and Jones were all first time captains that year, and that group went to Super Bowl LX.
Related
Patriots depth chart 2026 · Highest paid Patriots players · Drake Maye contract and salary · Patriots Super Bowl history · Patriots schedule
The Bottom Line
Six captains: Maye, Henry, Moses, Spillane, Marcus Jones and Byard. Four are holdovers, Moses and Byard are the new ones, and they replaced Landry and Schooler, both of whom start the year on the injury lists. Christian Gonzalez being left off is the storyline to watch.