Patriots Safety Shares Love for City

FOXBORO, MA. — According to New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins, the best lobster roll he’s had is from Saltie Girl in Boston. He called it “fire,” gets it hot with butter and sometimes will tack on a clam chowder.

It’s one of the reasons Hawkins has fallen in love with the region, and in turn, the Patriots.

“I mess with Foxboro, man,” Hawkins told reporters after Monday’s practice. “I actually moved closer this year, last year I was staying in the city. Now I’m just a little bit closer here … I love the food, I love going out to eat and I love the area.”

The drive to work is a lot shorter for Hawkins than it was a year ago. So are a lot of things surrounding the Patriots and their defense. One constant has been the safeties — it's almost the exact same group from 2024.

Hawkins re-signed with New England on a one-year deal worth up to $2.25 million in March. Based on how he answered questions from reporters, it’s safe to assume his teammates played a part in coming back for a second season.

“I love our room, I love everyone that we got. We all help each other from old to young,” Hawkins said. “We all in here with one goal and that is to get better, to get the ball and to play hard (and) do what safeties do on the back end. … Hanging out off the field, hanging out on the field, you want to have fun when you’re out there.”

The former Atlanta Falcon and Los Angeles Charger declined to compare the differences between the defensive styles of new head coach Mike Vrabel and Jerod Mayo’s from a year ago, but did mention the culture that the Patriots Hall of Famer is bringing. He said there’s similarities in how his secondary units attack the offense, but mentioned how it’s a mindset that keeps needing to be drilled.

“I love what coach is instilling in us, I love the culture that he’s bringing to this team,” Hawkins said. “Every day is a new chapter and everyday is a new day to get better, so regardless of what you did the day before, it’s a new day to raise the bar. … We don’t hang our hats on things that (were) good before.”

Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers have expectedly kicked off the summer as New England’s top two safeties, but Hawkins is right behind them. He’s been bunched with offseason signee Marcus Epps as the top unit’s primary backups. Add in Dell Pettus, rookies Craig Woodson and Josh Minkins, and occasionally Brenden Schooler, the back end of the defense is one of the team’s strongest areas.