Report: Patriots, Packers to hold joint practices in Green Bay this summer

With the NFL Draft in the books, the next big item on the NFL calendar is the start of training camp in late July. And it looks like the New England Patriots will spend parts of it in Wisconsin.

According to a report by Matt Schneidman and Chad Graff of The Athletic, the Patriots will visit the Green Bay Packers for a set of joint practices this summer. The sessions will presumably take place in August and be followed by a preseason game between the two clubs.

The AFC East’s Patriots and NFC North’s Packers are not overly familiar with one another, with a scheduled meeting taking place only every four years. While they did cross paths at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field last season, both teams will look significantly different this time around.

The biggest difference will be at quarterback. The 27-24 Green Bay overtime win last October saw Brian Hoyer and Bailey Zappe play significant snaps for New England; Hoyer is no longer with the team and Zappe back in No. 2 duty behind then-injured starter Mac Jones. The Packers, meanwhile, traded long-time franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets last week; Jordan Love is their new QB1.

The storylines heading into these joint practices will extend beyond the quarterback position. From a big-picture perspective, however, they will give the Patriots an opportunity to square off against a franchise in a similar spot: trying to find success following the departure of a legendary QB.

The Packers are not the only team the Patriots have been in contact with about the possibility of conducting joint practices. In early April, it was reported that Bill Belichick and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had talked about a session in Nashville.

Time will tell whether that plan will turn into fruition. What we do know is that the NFL is planning to release its 2023 regular season and preseason schedule next week, possibly also including clues about future joint practice partners.