Patriots Combine thoughts: Price and Giardi talk Vrabel and more

We've been sharing our Patriots Combine thoughts and offseason musings all week long. Here's the most recent selection.

We'll start with the clip up top. Christopher Price is the Patriots beat writer for the Boston Globe. He's a smart guy. Not just because he pops up on Toucher & Hardy here and there, but because he wisely changed his flight out of Boston to the NFL Combine from Monday night to Sunday morning. Sure, he had an extra day he had to kill in Indianapolis. But that's a small price to pay to avoid all the delays and cancellations his fellow sports media members had to deal with that were caused by Monday's blizzard. We're still digging out. How about you?

Christopher joined Toucher, Hardy, and Wallach to react to Eliot Wolf’s press conference comments from the Combine earlier in the week. Price believes the Patriots are prioritizing Stefon Diggs over Christian Barmore, whose future with the team feels much less certain. He also questioned Will Campbell’s injury issues and expects the team to draft another tackle, especially with Morgan Moses on the doorstep of turning 35. Christopher is great and we always love having him on. Read his latest from the Combine in the Globe right here.

Old friend Mike Giardi didn't have as much luck as Christopher Price did with his Combine travel plans. As you'll hear in the clip, Mike is stranded in Florida, and won't be at the NFL Combine until Friday. Yes, you read that right. Stranded in Florida. No, the blizzard that socked southern New England in with multiple feet of snow on Monday did not affect Florida. And we never got to the bottom of why Mike was "stranded" there. Nonetheless, after ripping on Jon Wallach, he shared with us his perspective on Combine goings-on and New England's offseason.

The main talking point? The Patriots could trade cornerback Christian Gonzalez for what would amount to a king's ransom in return. From the fan perspective, this might seem like nonsense. Gonzalez was a breakout star for New England in 2025. He wants to be a team captain. But Giardi noted his attitude, approachability, and availability to the media in the locker room post-game last season was suspect. Moving on from him, however, would have both short- and long-term impacts on the success of the team, no matter what they get back. Read more from Mike here.

Finally, the show reacted to Head Coach Mike Vrabel's comments at the Combine, where he focused on big contract decisions for Gonzalez and QB Drake Maye, as well as whether the Patriots truly believe they’re ready to contend. Fred, Hardy & Jon debated going all-in with a splashy trade versus staying patient and building the roster in a more measured way. Plus, they questioned how situations like Christian Barmore’s and a potential A.J. Brown move could impact a locker room that Vrabel seems determined to protect. Watch the clip below.