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ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports Patriots rookies Drake Maye and Ja’Lynn Polk “made it a habit over the past four weeks to take extra repetitions after practice and were usually the last players to leave the field.”



Advice: “I think it’s important,” Maye said. “It’s picking up little things every day.” This kind of story is often an offseason practice contrivance, but it’s easy to spot the significance in this instance. Maye is the Patriots’ new franchise player and Polk sits atop a ludicrously thin receiver depth chart. Any success they might have on offense this season is going to depend in large part on this connection. It’s a great sign they are already working overtime to establish it.

Rotoworld Sunday, 7:16 am

Jaguars signed QB Trevor Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract extension.

Advice: Lawrence gets $200 million in guaranteed money with this deal, with $142 million guaranteed at signing. His $55 million AAV ties Joe Burrow for the highest of any player in the league. It’s a steep but not surprising price to pay for Lawrence, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Jaguars in 2021. Lawrence has thrown for 11,770 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions in 50 career games and has led his team to a 17-16 record in two years under current head coach Doug Pederson. Lawrence will play under the terms of his rookie deal in 2024 and under a fifth-year option in 2025, meaning the base salary for his new deal won’t kick in until 2026. Rotoworld Thursday, 4:01 pm

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports, “The NFL is docking the Falcons a 2025 fifth-round pick for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy with Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Charlie Woerner.”

Advice: When asked about potential tampering violations back in May, Cousins said, “There’s not a whole lot there.” The league, clearly thinking otherwise, has decided there was enough to not only dock the Falcons a future draft pick but also fine the team $250,000 and general Terry Fontenot $50,000. At his introductory press conference with the team back in March, Cousins more or less admitted to tampering when he talked about having contact with the team and free agent signee Darnell Mooney before the official start of the league year. In a statement put out by the league regarding the Falcons’ violation, the NFL said, “While the [anti-tampering] policy permits clubs to engage with and negotiate all aspects of an NFL player contract with the certified agent of any prospective unrestricted free agent during the two-day negotiating period, any direct contact between the player and an employee or representative of the club is prohibited. This includes discussion of travel arrangements or other logistical matters, which the club acknowledges took place with regard to these three players.” Rotoworld Thursday, 7:56 am

Darnold will be the first-team quarterback when Minnesota begins training camp in late July, ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert reports.

Advice: Darnold took all the first-team reps at June minicamp and reportedly looked sharper than 10th overall draft pick J.J. McCarthy. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Darnold will remain the top QB for the start of training camp, but O'Connell cautioned that it's one of the many positions at which he anticipates competition later this summer. Rotowire.com Thursday, 6:23 am

Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Robert Saleh said Aaron Rodgers’ absence is “more of an issue for everyone outside the building than it is inside.”

Advice: Saleh prefaced the assurance by saying he and Rodgers “are on the exact same page” and, “There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates.” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed Jr. validated Saleh’s statement, adding, “That’s our quarterback. If [Rodgers’ prior commitment] is important to him, it’s important to us. It’s really not a big deal.” Rodgers is skipping the team’s full mandatory minicamp, risking more than $100,000 in fines. Rotoworld Wednesday, 4:11 pm