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Patriots Insider Would Be ‘Shocked’ if Rookie Doesn’t Win Starting Gig

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Griffin Goodwyn | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 4:00 PM ET

A position that once was a source of stability for the New England Patriots has quickly become one surrounded by question marks.

Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski were reliable kickers for the Patriots during the team's stretch of six Super Bowl championships in 18 seasons. But since Gostkowski was released in 2020, the Patriots have had three different players start at the position over the last four seasons; after Joey Slye signed with the Tennessee Titans this offseason, this year will make it four kickers in five.

Two kickers are currently fighting for the team's starting job in 2025: John Parker Romo, a journeyman who made his NFL debut with the Minnesota Vikings last year, and rookie Andy Borregales.

From what MassLive's Mark Daniels has seen from the Patriots' practice sessions thus far, the job is Borregales' to lose.

"The sixth-round pick shined this spring with an impressive array of accuracy and distance on his kicks. Borregales hit 95% (19-of-20) field goal attempts in five open practices," Daniels wrote. "It’s been a tough road for the Patriots since they traded Nick Folk to Tennessee. However, it looks like the team found a good one in Borregales. It’d be shocking if he lost the kicking competition to Parker Romo, who made 14-of-20 (70%) attempts in open practices this spring."

The Patriots selected Borregales with the No. 182 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, making him the first kicker off the board. Borregales, who served as Miami's starting kicker all four years of his collegiate career, made 86.0% (74-86) of his field goal attempts and 99.5% (183-184) of his extra point attempts with the Hurricanes.

He landed on the All-ACC First Team in 2023 and 2024, in addition to being an All-ACC Honorable Mention in 2021 and 2022. Borregales was also a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the top placekicker in college football, as a junior.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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