Patriots Rumors: NE Asked to Pair 49ers, Cardinals Away Games on 2024 NFL Schedule

The New England Patriots reportedly issued a request to have their away games against the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals come in consecutive weeks this season.

Mike Reiss of ESPN reported the Patriots are hoping to spend an entire week on the West Coast if the games are paired. Those two games are New England's only contests out west this season, so it would make sense to want to give players time to adjust.

Reiss also noted that the NFL allows teams to make special scheduling requests but does not always grant them.

The league is yet to announce when the 2024 schedule will be released, but it's expected to come this month. Last year, the NFL released the schedule May 11. If a similar schedule is followed this year, the schedule could come out as soon as this week.

The Patriots are entering a new era after the departure of longtime coach Bill Belichick. Director of scouting Eliot Wolf took over as the team's de facto general manager, and the Patriots hired former Belichick assistant Jerod Mayo to take over as head coach.

Perhaps most importantly, New England drafted Drake Maye in the first round of last month's NFL draft to serve as its new franchise quarterback. While it's unclear whether Maye will be the starter in Week 1, the Patriots are seemingly trying to make things as easy as possible on their rookie quarterback.