Mike Vrabel explains why Patriots cancelled final minicamp practice

It's become something of a yearly tradition for the New England Patriots to call off practice on the final day of mandatory minicamp, in favor of something lighter and more fun. But this year's Pats under Mike Vrabel won't be straying too far from Gillette Stadium.

Vrabel and the team explained before Monday's minicamp session in Foxborough that they will remain around the outer fields and inside the team facilities. They just won't hold a proper practice, as they did on Monday and still will on Tuesday, and won't be open to the media.

"I just felt like hopefully we can get two good days of work here and get going on to the offseason program," Vrabel said. "We'll still work; I just didn't want to come out. We'll be out on the field. We'll be lifting, running and meeting."

This is a slight departure from the previous two seasons, in which the Patriots cancelled the final day of minicamp practice in favor of team-building activities that didn't directly involve football or didn't take place at Gillette. Jerod Mayo took the team on a "community day" on their final scheduled minicamp day last June, which involved visits to local schools and community centers.

^{Mike Vrabel}

Bill Belichick planned a day of team-building activities in place of minicamp in 2023, which included a paintball trip. It slightly backfired, as then-safeties coach Brian Belichick suffered a serious knee injury that was believed to take place during a paintball match.

The Patriots haven't dealt with any major injuries so far in their offseason workouts. They have one more day of intensity to get through before a lighter finale to minicamp. It sounds like the team will still put some work in during Wednesday's minicamp finale, but will skip the rigors of a full practice.

We'll have full coverage of the Pats from Tuesday's minicamp practice in Foxborough. Read more about Christian Barmore's appearance on the practice field here.